Unit-Dose Oral Care Compositions

ABSTRACT

Unit-dose oral care composition comprising a fibrous composition and/or an open cell foam with a low level of inorganic salts. Oral care compositions that dissolve quickly upon initial contact with water. Oral care compositions which leave a low amount of residue on surfaces upon use. Methods of use of unit-dose oral care compositions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to unit-dose oral care compositions. The present invention also relates to unit-dose oral care compositions comprising a fibrous composition. The present invention also relates to unit-dose oral care compositions comprising a foam composition with a low level of inorganic salts. The present invention also relates to oral care compositions that dissolve quickly upon initial contact with water. The present invention also relates to oral care compositions which leave a low amount of residue on surfaces upon use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Oral care compositions, such as dentifrice compositions, are retained in the oral cavity for a time sufficient to contact some or all of the dental surfaces and/or oral tissues for purposes of oral health. Oral care compositions are then expectorated, typically into a sink. However, many dentifrice compositions leave residues, such as undissolved dentifrice compositions, in total, and/or other insoluble oral care composition components, on surfaces. Thus, sinks routinely accumulate residues, which need to be periodically removed.

Additionally, dentifrice compositions are typically formulated as a paste that can be squeezed out of a tube. Dentifrice compositions can include a fluoride agent, abrasives, calcium sources, surfactants, whitening agents, humectants, thickening agents, and other formulation ingredients. Typically, dentifrice compositions must be carefully formulated to avoid reactivity in the tube, but retain reactivity in the oral cavity. As dentifrice compositions are typically formulated as a paste, which is easy for a user to apply to the oral cavity with a toothbrush, many dentifrice compositions include ingredients with low water solubility and/or have a slow dissolution time, in total, to accommodate the brushing experience. Thus, dentifrice compositions can commonly be slowly dissolving pastes that leave residues on surfaces either due to expectoration or spillage.

Accordingly, there is a need for oral care compositions, such as dentifrice compositions, which can be residue-free without sacrificing the oral health benefits commonly provided by oral care compositions and/or the user's brushing experience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is a unit-dose oral care composition having a Total Dissolution Time per dose of less than about 1000 seconds.

Also disclosed herein is a unit-dose oral care composition comprising a solid soluble foam composition, the solid soluble foam composition comprising (a) one or more surfactants; (b) a polymer; (c) a fluoride ion source; and (d) a plasticizer, wherein the solid soluble foam composition comprises less than about 1% of a polyphosphate.

Also disclosed herein is an oral care composition comprising at least one nonwoven web, the nonwoven web comprising from about 1% to about 80%, by weight of the oral are composition, of one or more web forming materials, and at least one of (a) an abrasive, (b) a fluoride ion source, (c) one or more surfactants, and/or (d) a metal ion source; wherein the oral care composition has a Total Dissolution Time per dose of less than about 1000 seconds.

Also disclosed herein is a low-residue oral care composition comprising (a) one or more surfactants and (b) a plasticizer, wherein the oral care composition has a mean grayscale value of less than about 25.

Also disclosed herein is a method of brushing at least one tooth using one of the compositions disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a microCT image of Fiber Ex. 3.

FIG. 2 is a microCT image of Foam Ex. 1.

FIG. 3 is an image of a residue test for Fiber Ex. 3.

FIG. 4 is an image of a residue test for Crest® Cavity Protection.

FIG. 5 is an image of a residue test for Crest® Baking Soda and Peroxide

FIG. 6 is an image of a residue test for Colgate® Total®.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to oral care compositions that dissolve quickly upon initial contact with water and/or the oral cavity. The present invention also relates to oral care compositions which leave a low amount of residue on surfaces upon use.

While dentifrice reactivity is typically manipulated through paste formulation design, the use of fibrous compositions will allow for dentifrice reactivity to be dramatically lowered by separating components by placing them in the solid phase, where reactivity is lower, or physically separating the ingredients by designing the assembly of the layers of webs. Another strategy to lower dentifrice reactivity is the use of foam compositions, which can place dentifrice components in the solid phase. The use of fibrous compositions comprising one or more nonwoven webs can allow for a quick dissolution time. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the use of a fibrous compositions will allow for a quick dissolution time due to the high surface area of nonwoven webs compared with a nurdle of dentifrice composition.

The use of a unit-dose oral care composition, such as a dentifrice composition, can also improve the consumer's user experience by providing a composition with an exact dosing as opposed to under- or over-dosing the correct amount of dentifrice to achieve the desired benefit.

Definitions

To define more clearly the terms used herein, the following definitions are provided. Unless otherwise indicated, the following definitions are applicable to this disclosure. If a term is used in this disclosure but is not specifically defined herein, the definition from the IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd Ed (1997), can be applied, as long as that definition does not conflict with any other disclosure or definition applied herein, or render indefinite or non-enabled any claim to which that definition is applied.

The term “oral care composition” as used herein means a product that in the ordinary course of usage is retained in the oral cavity for a time sufficient to contact some or all of the dental surfaces and/or oral tissues for purposes of oral health. In one embodiment, the composition is retained in the oral cavity to deliver an oral care active agent. The oral composition of the present invention may be in various forms including toothpaste, dentifrice, tooth gel, tooth powders, tablets, rinse, sub gingival gel, foam, mousse, chewing gum, lipstick, sponge, floss, prophy paste, petrolatum gel, denture product, nonwoven web, or foam. In one embodiment, the oral composition is in the form of a nonwoven web. In another embodiment, the oral composition is in the form of a dentifrice. The oral composition may also be incorporated onto strips or films for direct application or attachment to oral surfaces or incorporated into floss. The oral care composition may also be a strip that can be directly applied to a surface of the oral cavity. The strip can at least partially dissolve upon contact with moisture or brushing.

The term “orally acceptable carrier” as used herein means a suitable vehicle or ingredient, which can be used to form and/or apply the present compositions to the oral cavity in a safe and effective manner.

The term “effective amount” as used herein means an amount of a compound or composition sufficient to induce a positive benefit, an oral health benefit, and/or an amount low enough to avoid serious side effects, i.e., to provide a reasonable benefit to risk ratio, within the sound judgment of a skilled artisan. Depending on the type of oral health benefit and the efficacy of active compound, “effective amount” means at least about 0.0001% of the material, 0.001% of the material, or 0.01 of the material, by weight of the composition.

The term “dentifrice” as used herein means paste, gel, powder, tablets, or liquid formulations, unless otherwise specified, that are used to clean, treat, or contact the surfaces of the oral cavity. Additionally, as disclosed herein, the dentifrice means a nonwoven web that are used to clean the surfaces of the oral cavity. The term “teeth” as used herein refers to natural teeth as well as artificial teeth or dental prosthesis.

As used herein, the term “filament” means a thin, flexible threadlike object that can be used to form a nonwoven web of the present type. The length of a filament can greatly exceed its diameter, i.e. a length to diameter ratio of at least about 5, 10, or 25.

The filaments of the present invention may be spun from nonwoven web forming materials via suitable spinning operations, such as meltblowing or spunbonding.

Filaments are typically considered continuous or substantially continuous in nature. Filaments are relatively longer than fibers. Non-limiting examples of filaments can include meltblown filaments, spunbond filaments, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the filaments are meltblown filaments.

In one example, the filaments may be in the form of fibers, such as when the filaments are cut to shorter lengths. Thus, in one example, the present invention also includes a fiber comprising the composition of the filament of the present invention.

As used herein, “nonwoven web forming material” means a composition that is suitable for making a filament such as by meltblowing, spunbonding, or fluid film fibrillation. The nonwoven web forming material comprises one or more nonwoven web forming materials that exhibit properties that make them suitable for spinning into a filament.

As used herein, “length”, with respect to a filament, means the length along the longest axis of the filament from one terminus to the other terminus. If a filament has a kink, curl or curves in it, then the length is the length along the entire path of the filament.

As used herein, “average diameter”, with respect to a filament, is measured according to the Diameter Test Method described herein.

As used herein, the term “disintegratable” and “disintegration” means that the oral care composition, filament, or nonwoven is reduced to components, fragments or compositions when exposed to conditions of intended use.

As used herein, the term “dissolves” means that the oral care composition, filament, or nonwoven web is mostly or completely solubilized. The oral care composition may appear to visibly dissolve even though some of the components do not completely dissolve—for example cross linked polyacrylic acid polymers form clear gels giving the appearance of dissolution while, not wishing to be bound by theory, the clear gels are simply hydrated. Another example is an abrasive which does not dissolve at all even though it may make up the majority of the composition. An oral composition comprising an abrasive would still be deemed to be “dissolved” if only the abrasive has not dissolved. Dissolution of the oral care composition is complete when any remaining particles have a diameter of 2 mm or less.

As used herein, the term “applying” includes spraying, dusting, sprinkling, coating, surface-printing (e.g., in the shape of a desired adornment, decoration, or pattern), pouring on, injecting into the interior, dipping, or by any other suitable means, such as by use of a depositor, sifter, or powder bed.

As used herein, “conditions of intended use” means the temperature, physical, chemical, and/or mechanical conditions that an oral care composition comprising one or more filaments of the present invention is exposed to when the oral care composition is used for its designed purpose. The oral care compositions of the present invention can be administered to a mammal via the oral cavity, mouth, throat, and combinations thereof. The conditions of intended use can be the temperature, physical, chemical, and/or mechanical conditions in the oral cavity, mouth, and/or throat of a mammal.

“Triggering condition” as used herein means anything, as an act or event that serves as a stimulus and initiates or precipitates a change in the filament, such as a loss or altering of the filament's physical structure and/or a release an oral care active including dissolution, hydration, and swelling. Some triggering conditions include a suitable pH, temperature, shear rate, or water content.

“Morphology changes” as used herein with respect to a filament's morphology changing means that the filament experiences a change in its physical structure. Non-limiting examples of morphology changes for a filament of the present invention include dissolution, melting, swelling, shrinking, breaking into pieces, lengthening, shortening, peeling, splitting, shredding, imploding, twisting, and combinations thereof. The filaments of the present invention may completely or substantially lose their filament physical structure or they may have their morphology changed or they may retain or substantially retain their filament physical structure as they are exposed to conditions of intended use.

As used herein, a “web” means a sheet of continuous filaments or fibers of any nature or origin that have been formed into a web by any means, and bonded together by any means.

As used herein and as defined by European Disposables and Nonwovens Association (EDANA), “nonwoven web” means a sheet of continuous filaments or fibers of any nature or origin that have been formed into a web by any means, and bonded together by any means, with the exception of weaving or knitting. Felts obtained by wet milling are not nonwovens. In one example, a nonwoven web according to the present invention means an orderly arrangement of filaments within a structure in order to perform a function. In one example, a nonwoven web of the present invention is an arrangement comprising a plurality of two or more and/or three or more filaments that are inter-entangled or otherwise associated with one another to form a nonwoven web.

The term RDA refers to Relative Dentin Abrasion or Radioactive Dentin Abrasion as defined in FDI-ISO 11609. The term PCR refers to Pellicle Cleaning Ratio as defined in the original paper by Stookey et al. 1982 and later used by Schemehorn et al. 2011 to characterize the relative effectiveness of oral care compositions to remove a laboratory-sourced, human-like, stain from enamel chips. These experimental techniques will be described in greater detail later.

All percentages and ratios used hereinafter are by weight of total composition, unless otherwise indicated. All percentages, ratios, and levels of ingredients referred to herein are based on the actual amount of the ingredient, and do not include solvents, fillers, or other materials with which the ingredient may be combined as a commercially available product, unless otherwise indicated. All measurements referred to herein are made at 25° C. unless otherwise specified.

The composition, process and methods of the present invention can comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, the essential elements and limitations of the invention described herein, as well as any additional or optional ingredients, components, or limitations described herein or otherwise useful in oral care compositions intended for use or consumption by mammals preferably consumption or use by humans.

Unit-Dose Oral Care Composition

The oral care compositions of the present invention can be unit-dose oral care compositions. A unit-dose oral care composition is an amount of the oral care composition to be administered to a patient or consumer in a single use. The unit-dose oral care composition can be a unit-dose dentifrice, a unit-dose mouth rinse, a unit-dose tooth gel, a unit-dose tooth whitening composition, or any other suitable unit-dose oral care composition capable of being retained in the oral cavity for a time sufficient to contact some or all of the dental surfaces and/or oral tissues for purposes of oral health.

The amount, in mass and/or volume, of the unit-dose oral care composition is determined based on the desired type of unit-dose oral care composition. For example, a unit-dose dentifrice can be sized to deliver the correct amount of fluoride in a single use according to local laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monograph, which allows formulations of 850 to 1150 ppm and/or 1500 ppm of fluoride ions. Additionally, a unit-dose dentifrice can be sized to deliver the correct amount or ratio of other ingredients, such as, for example, antimicrobial agents, abrasives, surfactants, flavors, metal ions, etc. Similarly, a unit-dose mouth rinse can be sized to deliver the correct amount of mouth rinse ingredients, such as, for example, fluoride ions, antimicrobial agents, abrasives, surfactants, flavors, metal ions, etc.

The unit-dose oral care composition can be in the form of a pouch, a droplet, a solid open cell foam, a solid closed cell foam, a fibrous composition, a paste composition, a gel composition, a tablet composition, a strip composition, a tape composition, and/or an assembly of one or more of the forms described in this paragraph.

The unit-dose oral care composition can be sized to fit a manual toothbrush, an electric toothbrush, or any other applicator designed to help contact the unit-dose oral care composition to the surfaces of the oral cavity, including, but not limited to teeth.

The unit-dose oral care composition of the present invention can be a substantially flat or flat composition in the form of a pad, strip, tape, or tablet having a thickness of from about 0.05 millimeter (mm) to about 20 mm, from about 0.05 mm to about 10 mm, from about 0.05 mm to about 5 mm, from about 0.5 mm to about 1 mm, from about 0.05 mm to about 0.5 mm, from about 0.05 mm to about 0.25 mm, or from about 0.05 mm to about 0.1 mm, as measured by the Thickness Method described hereafter. The unit-dose oral care composition can be formed into a cylindrical shape (e.g. by rolling) having a length from about 0.5 centimeter (cm) to about 10 cm, from about 1 cm to about 5 cm, or from about 1.5 cm to about 3 cm. The unit-dose oral care composition can be a rectangular prism including a cube wherein the longest sides of the rectangular prism has a length from about 5 mm to 20 mm, from about 10 mm to 15 mm, or from about 5 mm to about 10 mm, as measured by the Thickness Method described herein. If the dimensions of the dose changes, the basis weight of the dose can change. The unit-dose oral care composition can be circular or an oval wherein the diameter of the circle or the length of the longest portion of the oval is from about 5 mm to about 5 cm, 5 mm to about 100 mm, 5 mm to about 50 mm, 1 cm to about 5 cm, or 100 mm to about 1 cm.

The unit-dose oral care composition can be in the form of one or more flat sheets or pads of an adequate size to be able to be handled easily by the user. The unit-dose oral care composition can comprise one unit-dose of one or more oral care actives that can provide one or more oral care benefits and/or treat one or more oral care conditions. The unit-dose oral care composition may have a square, rectangle, oval, circular, disc shape or any other suitable shape. The unit-dose oral care composition can also be in the form of a continuous strip including delivery on a tape-like roll dispenser with individual portions dispensed via perforations and/or a cutting mechanism.

A unit-dose oral care composition can allow for the dose to include incompatible components within the same composition. Components are considered incompatible with one another, if when they are in the same solution or as non-solid mixtures, at least one of the components has a significant reduction in efficacy, stability, or bioavailability. Incompatible components can be components that chemically interact with each other to form new compounds, complexes and/or salts and/or components that will separate into discrete portions or phases of the composition to minimize unfavorable interactions.

Examples of incompatible components can include, but are not limited to, metal ion sources and silica abrasives, metal ion sources and polyphosphates, metal ion sources and pyrophosphates, calcium ion sources and fluoride ion sources, calcium ion sources and phosphate salts, calcium ion sources and pyrophosphate, oxalate ions and peroxide compounds, stannous fluoride and peroxide compounds, cationic antimicrobial agents, such as cetyl pyridinium chloride, and fluoride ion sources, acids and bases, calcium ion sources and chelants, such as EDTA, oxidizing agents and reducing agents, hydrophobic components, such as petrolatum, silicones, polybutene, and hydrophilic components, such as water and alcohols, and/or any other incompatible components, as defined above.

The unit-dose oral care compositions, as described herein, can be designed to maximize bioavailability, stability, and/or efficacy of the ingredients by minimizing reactivity between the ingredients. Minimizing reactivity between the ingredients can be accomplished by physically separating the ingredients into discrete portions of the composition or by placing one or more ingredients in the solid phase where reactivity is lower.

In the context of a pouch composition, the interior volume can be separated into multiple discrete, layered, adjacent, and/or superimposed portions that can place one or more components in each portion. For example, a fluoride ion source can be in one portion while a calcium ion source can be in another portion of the pouch composition. Additionally, a metal ion source can be in one portion while a silica abrasive or polyphosphate can be in another portion of the pouch composition.

In the context of a fibrous oral care composition, one or more reactive components can be in a one nonwoven web layer and one or more reactive components can be in another nonwoven web layer. Additionally, one or more reactive components can be in one or more nonwoven web layers and one or more reactive components can be between, on top, below, folded within, adjacent, or superimposed with the one or more nonwoven web layers, such as in a nonfibrous composition. For example, a fluoride ion source can be spun within or comingled with a first fibrous composition comprising one or more nonwoven web layers and a calcium ion source can be spun within or comingled with a second fibrous composition comprising one or more nonwoven web layers. The first and second fibrous compositions can be assembled into a single multi-ply composition using any suitable means. Additionally, a fluoride ion source can be spun within or comingled with a fibrous composition comprising one or more nonwoven web layers and a calcium ion source can be in a nonfibrous composition, as a solid composition or at least partially dissolved or at least partially dispersed in a liquid composition. The fibrous composition and the nonfibrous composition can be assembled into a multi-ply composition or the nonfibrous composition can be can be between, on top, below, folded within, adjacent, or superimposed with the fibrous composition.

In the context of a foam oral care composition, such as a flexible porous dissolvable solid structure, the reactive components can be within or comingled together within an open cell or closed cell foam, the foam compositions are described in US 2011/0027328, which is herein incorporated by reference. One or more reactive components can be in the foam composition, while one or more reactive components can be in a nonfoam composition, such as a surface resident particulate coating, which coats the surface of the solid foam composition.

The use of a unit-dose oral care composition, as described herein, allows for easy portability and the ability to better control dosing. For example, due to current restrictions on airlines regarding liquid products, a passenger is limited to carrying on only a small amount of mouth rinse or dentifrice or to packing his mouth rinse or dentifrice in his checked luggage. If the oral care composition were in unit-dose form, the passenger can pack exactly the amount needed into a carry-on without the need to worry about airline packing restrictions.

Fibrous Oral Care Composition

The oral care composition can be a fibrous oral care composition. The fibrous oral care composition can comprise a fibrous composition and/or a nonfibrous composition. The fibrous composition can comprise at least one web. The fibrous composition can comprise a nonwoven web and/or a woven web.

The fibrous composition can comprise one or more web layers. The one or web layers can comprise one or more filaments and/or fibers. The oral care composition may comprise a first web and a second web wherein the first and the second web comprise different components.

The fibrous composition can comprise any suitable oral care component. The fibrous composition can comprise any component described herein.

The web can comprise more than one filament. The web can comprise a first filament and a second filament both comprising an oral care active and the oral care active can be the same oral care active or different oral care actives. The web can comprise a first filament comprising an immediate delivery oral care active and a second filament comprising an extended delivery, a delayed delivery, and/or a targeted delivery oral care active. The web can comprise a first filament, a second filament, and a third filament, wherein each filament comprises a different oral care component.

The web or oral care composition can comprise a plurality of identical or substantially identical, from a compositional perspective, filaments according to the present invention. The web or oral care composition may comprise two or more different filaments according to the present invention. Non-limiting examples of differences in the filaments may be physical differences such as differences in diameter, length, texture, shape, rigidness, elasticity, and the like; chemical differences such as crosslinking level, solubility, melting point, glass transition temperature (Tg), web forming material, color, amount of oral care active, amount of web forming material, presence of a coating composition on the oral care composition, chemical composition of the oral care active including whether the oral care active is immediate delivery, delayed delivery, extended delivery, or targeted delivery, and the like; differences in whether the filament loses its physical structure when the filament is exposed to conditions of intended use; differences in whether the filament's morphology changes when the filament is exposed to conditions of intended use; and differences in when and where the benefit from the oral care active is experienced. In one example, two or more filaments within the oral care composition or web may comprise the same web forming material, but have different oral care actives.

The web can comprise two or more filaments wherein the filaments release the oral care actives at different rates. The different rates may be caused by the filaments being positioned at an external surface of the web.

The oral care composition can comprise a nonfibrous composition, which may or may not be greater in weight percentage, by weight of the oral care composition, than the fibrous composition. The nonfibrous composition can be between a first web and a second web. At least a portion of the nonfibrous composition can be in contact with a surface of fibrous composition. The nonfibrous composition can be placed on a single web layer and the web layer can be folded on top of the nonfibrous composition, rolled with the nonfibrous composition, placed on top of or below the fibrous composition, and/or the fibrous composition can wrap around the fibrous composition.

The nonfibrous composition can comprise any suitable oral care component. The nonfibrous composition can comprise any component described herein. The nonfibrous composition can be liquid, solid, aqueous, and/or combinations thereof.

The oral care composition of the present invention can have a basis weight of from about 10 grams per square meter (g/m²) to about 5000 g/m², from about 25 g/m² to about 2500 g/m², from about 40 g/m² to about 1500 g/m², or from about 500 g/m² to about 2000 g/m².

The fibrous oral care composition can comprise two or more components or oral care actives that are generally considered incompatible, as described herein. For example, a first web layer can comprise a fluoride ion source and a second web layer can comprise a calcium ion source. In another example, a first web layer can comprise a metal ion source, such as a stannous ion source, and a nonfibrous composition can comprise a silica abrasive or a polyphosphate.

The oral care composition or web may exhibit different regions, such as different regions of basis weight, density and/or caliper. The oral care composition or web may comprise discrete regions of filaments that differ from other parts of the web.

The oral care composition or the web may comprise one or more textured, dimpled or otherwise topographically patterned surfaces including letters, logos or figures. The textured oral care composition can result from the shape of the filament or the web, in that the outermost surface of the composition contains portions that are raised with respect to other areas of the surface. The raised portions can result from the formed shape of the oral care composition, for example the web can be formed in a dimpled or waffle pattern. The raised portions can also be the result of creping processes, imprinted coatings, embossing patterns, or the result of the physical form of the composition itself.

The web of the present invention may be pressed into a film to form the oral care composition; this can be done by applying a compressive force and/or heating the web to convert the web into a film. The film can comprise the oral care actives that were present in the filaments of the present invention. The web may be completely converted into a film or parts of the web may remain in the form of a film after partial conversion of the web into the film. The oral care composition may constitute one or more webs wherein at least one of the webs has been pressed into a film. The oral care composition may comprise two or more webs that have been pressed into a film.

The web can be rolled, compressed, cut, or stacked to form a three dimensional oral care composition. For instance, the web may be compressed into a pill or tablet, rolled into a cylinder, or compressed or stacked into a rectangular prism to form the oral care composition.

The oral care composition may constitute one or more layers of webs which are optionally bonded together via a bonding means (including heat, moisture, ultrasonic, pressure etc.). The oral care composition may constitute one or more layers of webs which are optionally bonded together via compression.

The oral care composition or nonwoven web can be perforated with holes or channels penetrating into or through the oral care composition, in total, or locally in one or more web layers. These perforations can be formed as part of making the web or oral care composition via spikes extended from the surface of an adjacent belt, drum, roller or other surface. Alternatively, these perforations can be formed after forming the web or oral care composition by a process of poking or sticking the porous solids with pins, needles or other sharp objects.

Filament

The oral care composition can comprise one or more filaments. In an embodiment, the filaments of the present invention exhibit a length of greater than about 0.1 in., in an alternate embodiment greater than about 0.2 in, in still another embodiment greater than about 0.3 in, and in another embodiment greater than about 2 in.

The filaments can have an average diameter of less than about 150 micrometers (μm), less than about 100 μm, less than about 10 μm, or less than about 1 μm with a relative standard deviation of less than 100%, less than 80%, less than 60%, or less than 50%, such as in the range of 10% to 50%, for example. As set forth herein, the significant number means at least 10% of all the filaments, in another embodiment at least 25% of all the filaments, in another embodiment at least 50% of all the filaments, in yet another embodiment at least 75% of all the filaments. The significant number may be at least 99% of all the filaments. At least 50% of all the filaments may have an average diameter less than about 10 μm. The filaments produced by the method of the present disclosure can have a significant number of filaments with an average diameter less than about 1 μm, or sub-micron filaments. In an embodiment, the oral care composition can comprise at least 25% of all the filaments with an average diameter less than about 1 μm, at least 35% of all the filaments with an average diameter less than about 1 μm, at least 50% of all the filaments with an average diameter less than about 1 μm, or at least 75% of all the filaments with an average diameter less than about 1 μm.

The filament can comprise less than 30% moisture, by weight of the filament, less than 20% moisture, by weight of the filament, less than about 10% moisture, by weight of the filament, less than about 5% moisture, by weight of the filament, less than about 3%, by weight of the filament less than about 1%, or less than about 0.1%, by weight of the filament.

The filament of the present invention can be monocomponent or multicomponent. The filament can be a bicomponent filament. The filament can be a tricomponent filament. The multicomponent filament may be in any form, such as side-by-side, core and sheath, islands-in-the-sea and the like.

The filaments of the present invention may be meltblown filaments. The filaments of the present invention may be spunbond filaments. The filaments may be hollow filaments prior to and/or after release of one or more of its active agents.

The filament may comprise an oral care active within the filament and an oral care active on an external surface of the filament, such as a coating on the filament. The oral care active on the external surface of the filament may be the same or different from the active agent present in the filament. If different, the oral care actives may be compatible or incompatible with one another.

Solid Foam Compositions

The oral care composition can be a solid foam composition, such as the flexible porous dissolve solid structure described in US 2011/0027328, which is herein incorporated by reference. The solid foam composition can be in the form of an open cell foam or a closed cell foam.

The solid foam composition can comprise any suitable oral care component. The solid foam composition can comprise any component described herein. The solid foam composition can comprise a surface resident coating composition. The surface resident coating composition can comprise any suitable oral care component or any component described herein.

Importantly, U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328 does not disclose, teach, or suggest that the amount of pyrophosphate must be minimized in order to produce solid soluble foams. In fact, U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328 only teaches example foam compositions with a high amount of pyrophosphate. As such, it was unexpectedly found here that pyrophosphate interfered with the foam composition formation process.

Thus, the solid foam compositions of the present invention comprise a foam forming material, one or more surfactants, a plasticizer, and wherein the solid foam composition has less than about 5%, less than about 1%, or free of an inorganic metal salt, a polyphosphate, or specifically, a pyrophosphate. The foam forming material is any suitable material that exhibits properties suitable for making a foam. Non-limiting examples of foam forming materials can include the water-soluble polymer disclosed by U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328.

Web Forming Material

The web can be formed by any suitable means. The web can comprise spun fibers and/or spun filaments. The nonwoven web can be made from a web forming material or nonwoven web forming material as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/250,455, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/250,484, U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,139,802, 9,175,250, and/or 8,785,361, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The web forming material can comprise any suitable material that exhibits properties suitable for making a fiber or filament. Non-limiting examples of web forming materials can include polymers, polyols, sugars, sugar alcohols, and combinations thereof. The web can comprise two or more different web forming materials. The web can comprise three or more different web forming materials. The polymer can function as a web forming material and in certain embodiments can also provide an oral health benefit.

The fibrous composition can comprise from about 1% to about 100%, from about 2% to about 50%, from about 5% to about 35%, from about 5% to about 20%, from about 1% to about 15%, or from about 5% to about 10% of a nonwoven web forming material, by weight of the fibrous composition.

The oral care composition can comprise from about 1% to about 80%, from about 1% to about 50%, from about 1% to about 25%, from about 2% to about 20%, from about 3% to about 15%, less than about 10%, or from about 5% to about 10% of a web forming material by total weight of the oral care composition.

Polymer

The oral care composition can comprise a polymer. The web forming material can comprise a polymer. The fibrous composition or the nonfibrous composition can comprise a polymer. The foam composition can comprise a polymer. Non-limiting examples of polymers can include naturally sourced polymers, synthetic polymers, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of naturally sourced polymers can include alginates, gums, protein-based polymers, starch-based polymers, native starches, modified starches, fiber polymers, other naturally sourced polymers, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of alginates can include ammonium alginate, calcium alginate, potassium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of gums can include acacia gum, carrageenan, tragacanth gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, gellan gum, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of protein-based polymers can include whey protein isolate, soy protein isolate, egg albumin, casein, collagen, glutelin, gelatin, gluten, zein, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of starch-based polymers can include those starch-based polymers sourced from cereals, tubers, roots, legumes, fruits, and combinations thereof. Starch-based polymers can include glucose monomers joined in an α 1,4 linkage, amylose, amylopectin, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of native starches can include can include waxy or high amylase varieties of corn, pea, potato, banana, barley, wheat, rice, sago, amaranth, tapioca, arrowroot, canna, sorghum, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of modified starches can include hydroxypropyl starch, maltodextrin, high amylose starch, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of fiber polymers can include pectins, fructo-oligosaccharides, inulin, agar, beta-glucans, dextrins, lignin, celluloses, non-starch polysaccharides, reduced starch, polycarbophil, citrus fiber, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of other naturally sourced polymers can include agar, pullulan, chitin, chitosan, shellac, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of synthetic polymers can include cellulose derivatives, carbomers, polymethacrylates, other synthetic polymers, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of cellulose derivatives can include hydroxyethylmethyl cellulose, hydroxylpropylmethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropylethyl cellulose, methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of carbomers can include carbomer 934, carbomer 934P, carbomer 940, carbomer 94, carbomer 1342, carbomer copolymers, carbomer homopolymers, carbomer interpolymers, and combinations thereof. Some carbomers are available commercially as Carbopol® 934P NF polymer, Carbopol® 971P NF polymer, and Carbopol® 974P NF polymer.

Non-limiting examples of polymethacrylates can include ammonio methacrylate copolymer, basic butylated methacrylate copolymer, methacrylic acid-methyl methacrylate copolymer (1:1), methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate copolymer (1:1), methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate copolymer (1:1), methacrylic acid-methyl methacrylate copolymer (1:2), polyacrylate dispersion 30%, methacrylic acid copolymer, amino methacrylate copolymer, ammonio methacrylate copolymer, ammonio methacrylate copolymer dispersion, ethyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate copolymer, and combinations thereof. Some polymethacrylates are available commercially as Eudragit® E 12.5, Eudragit® E 100, Eudragit® E PO, Eudragit® L 12.5 P, Eudragit® L 12.5, Eudragit® L 100, Eudragit® L 100-55, Eudragit® L 30 D-55, Eudragit® S 12.5 P, Eudragit® S 12.5, Eudragit® S 100, Eudragit® FS 30 D, Eudragit® RL 12.5, Eudragit® RL 100, Eudragit® RL PO, Eudragit® RL 30 D, Eudragit® RS 12.5, Eudragit® RS 100, Eudragit® RS PO, Eudragit® RS 30 D, Eudragit® NE 30 D, Eudragit® NE 40 D, Eudragit® NM 30 D, Eastacryl™ 30 D, Kollicoat® MAE 30 DP, Kollicoat® MAE 100 P, Acryl-EZE®, Acryl-EZE® 93 A, and Acryl-EZE® MP.

Non-limiting examples of other synthetic polymers can include polyvinyl alcohol, carboxyvinyl polymers, polyvinyl pyrrolidones, polyethylene oxide, polyoxyethylene, and combinations thereof.

The polymer of the present invention can be selected such that its weight average molecular weight is from about 20,000 Daltons (Da) to about 10,000,000 Da, from about 100,000 Da to about 5,000,000 Da, from about 500,000 Da to about 4,000,000 Da, or from about 1,000,000 Da to about 3,000,000 Da. The weight average molecular weight is computed by summing the weight average molecular weight of each nonwoven web forming material raw material multiplied by their respective relative weight percentages by weight of the total weight of polymers present within the filament.

The polymer can be polyvinyl alcohol with a weight average molecular weight from about 10,000 Da to about 250,000 Da, in another embodiment from about 15,000 Da to about 200,000 Da, and in another embodiment from about 20,000 Da to about 150,000 Da.

The polyvinyl alcohol can have a degree of hydrolysis of from about 60% to 100%, from about 65% to about 85%, less than 85%, from about 70% to about 80%, or from about 65% to about 95%.

The polymer can be selected from the group consisting of alginates, starch-based polymers, native starches, modified starches, and combinations thereof with a weight average molecular weight from about 1,000,000 Da to about 6,000,000 Da, from about 1,500,000 Da to about 5,000,000 Da, or from about 2,000,000 Da to about 4,000,000 Da.

The polymer can be selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, pullulan, pectin, corn starch, modified corn starch, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and combinations thereof.

The fibrous composition can comprise from about 0.1% to about 50%, from about 5% to about 40%, from about 15% to about 35, from about 20% to about 30%, or from about 15% to about 30% of a polymer, by weight of the fibrous composition.

The nonfibrous composition can comprise from about 0.1% to about 50%, from about 5% to about 40%, from about 15% to about 35, from about 20% to about 30%, or from about 15% to about 30% of a polymer, by weight of the nonfibrous composition or the oral care composition.

Plasticizer

The oral care composition can comprise a plasticizer. Non-limiting examples of plasticizers can include polyols, polycarboxylic acids, polyesters, other suitable plasticizers, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of polycarboxylic acids can include citric acid, succinic acid, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of polyesters can include glycerol triacetate, diethyl phthalate, triethyl citrate, tributyl citrate, acetyl triethyl citrate, acetyl tributyl citrate, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of other suitable plasticizers of the present invention include, but are not limited to, alkyl and allyl phthalates; lactates (e.g., sodium, ammonium and potassium salts); lactic acid; soluble collagen; modified protein; monosodium L-glutamate; proteins and amino acids such as glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and lysine; hydrogen starch hydrolysates; other low molecular weight esters (e.g., esters of C2-C10 alcohols and acids); and any other plasticizer known to one skilled in the art of the food, dietary supplements, and pharmaceutical industries; and combinations thereof.

Polyol

The oral care composition can comprise a polyol. The fibrous composition or the nonfibrous composition can comprise a polyol. The web forming material can comprise a polyol. The foam forming material can comprise a polyol. A polyol is an organic compound with more than one hydroxyl functional groups. The polyol can comprise a sugar alcohol, a non-reducing sugar, a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, a polysaccharide, and/or combinations thereof.

Sugar alcohols are a class of polyols that can be obtained through the hydrogenation of sugar compounds with the formula (CHOH)_(n)H₂, preferably where n=2-6. Suitable sugar alcohols include ethylene glycol, glycerin, erythritol, threitol, arabitol, xylitol, ribitol, mannitol, sorbitol, galactitol, fucitol, iditol, inositol, volemitol, isomalt, maltitol, lactitol, maltomtriitol, maltotetraitol, and/or polyglycitol.

Non-reducing sugars are a class of saccharides that do not generate any compounds containing an aldehyde functional group. Non-reducing sugars are stable in water and do not react with weak oxidizing agents to produce sugar alcohols.

Non-limiting examples of monosaccharides can include glucose, fructose, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of disaccharides can include sucrose, maltose, lactose, high fructose corn syrup solids, trehalose, cellobiose, gentiobiose, isomaltose, kojibiose, laminaribiose, mannobiose, melibiose, nigerose, rutinose, xylobiose, lactulose and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of trioses can include glyceraldehydes, dihydroxyacetone, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of tetroses can include erythrose, threose, erythrulose, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of pentoses can include arabinose, lyxose, ribose, xylose, ribulose, xylulose, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of hexoses can include allose, altrose, galactose, glucose, gulose, idose, mannose, talose, fructose, psicose, sorbose, tagatose, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of heptoses can include mannoheptulose, sedoheptulose, and combinations thereof.

Non-limiting examples of octoses can include octolose, 2-keto-3-deoxy-manno-octonate, and combinations thereof. A non-limiting example of nonose can include sialose.

The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.01% to about 50%, from about 0.1% to about 50%, from about 1% to about 40%, from about 2% to about 25%, from about 5% to about 15%, or from about 5% to about 10% of a polyol, by weight of the oral care composition.

Water

The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.01% to about 50%, by weight of the oral care composition of water. The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.01% to about 30%, from about 0.1% to about 25%, from about 0.5% to about 15%, or from about 1% to about 15% of water, by weight of the composition. The water may be added to the formulation directly and/or may come into the composition from the inclusion of other ingredients. Preferably, the water is USP water. Alternatively, the oral care composition can comprise less than about 5%, less than about 1%, less than about 0.5%, or less than about 0.01% water by weight of the total composition. The oral care composition can comprise no added water other than the minimal amount of water in commercial products incorporated into the oral care composition or the water incorporated under ambient conditions.

Abrasive

The oral care composition can comprise about 0.5% to 75% of an abrasive by weight of the oral care composition. The oral care composition can comprise from about 5% to about 60%, from about 10% to about 50%, or from about 15% to about 55%, or combinations thereof, of an abrasive by weight of the composition. The abrasive can be a calcium-containing abrasive, a silica abrasive, a carbonate abrasive, a phosphate abrasive, an alumina abrasive, other suitable abrasives, and/or combinations thereof. Some abrasives may fit into several descriptive categories, such as for example calcium carbonate, which is both a calcium-containing abrasive and a carbonate abrasive.

The calcium-containing abrasive can comprise calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, calcium orthophosphate, calcium metaphosphate, calcium polyphosphate, calcium hydroxyapatite, and combinations thereof.

The calcium-containing abrasive can comprise calcium carbonate. The calcium-containing abrasive can be selected from the group consisting of fine ground natural chalk, ground calcium carbonate, precipitated calcium carbonate, and combinations thereof.

The carbonate abrasive can comprise sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, strontium carbonate, and/or combinations thereof.

The phosphate abrasive cancomprise calcium phosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, dicalcium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, calcium orthophosphate, calcium metaphosphate, calcium polyphosphate, a polyphosphate, a pyrophosphate, and/or combinations thereof.

The silica abrasive can comprise fused silica, fumed silica, precipitated silica, hydrated silica, and/or combinations thereof.

The alumina abrasive can comprise polycrystalline alumina, calcined alumina, fused alumina, levigated alumina, hydrated alumina, and/or combinations thereof.

Other suitable abrasives include diatomaceous earth, barium sulfate, wollastonite, perlite, polymethylmethacrylate particles, tospearl, and combinations thereof.

The abrasive can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Fluoride Ion Source

The oral care composition may include an effective amount of an anti-caries agent. The oral care composition can comprise a fluoride ion source.

The fluoride ion source may be present in an amount sufficient to give a suitable fluoride ion concentration in the composition according to local laws and regulations, for example the anti-caries monograph at the FDA. The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.0025% to about 20%, from about 0.0025% to about 10%, from about 0.01% to about 5%, or from about 0.0025% to about 2%, by weight of the oral care composition, of the fluoride ion source.

The fluoride ion source can be at an amount suitable to obtain a theoretical fluoride concentration of from about 200 ppm to about 10000 ppm, from about 200 ppm to about 2000 ppm, from about 800 ppm to about 1500 ppm, or from about 1100 ppm to about 1400 ppm as normalized to a unit-dose oral care composition by adding water.

The fluoride ion source can comprise examples of suitable fluoride ion-yielding materials are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,535,421, and 3,678,154. The fluoride ion source can comprise stannous fluoride, sodium fluoride, potassium fluoride, amine fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate, zinc fluoride, and/or combinations thereof.

The fluoride ion source and the metal ion source can be the same compound, such as for example, stannous fluoride, which can generate tin ions and fluoride ions. Additionally, the fluoride ion source and the tin ion source can be separate compounds, such as when the metal ion source is stannous chloride and the fluoride ion source is sodium monofluorophosphate or sodium fluoride.

The fluoride ion source can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Metal Ion Source

The oral care composition can comprise a metal ion source. Suitable metal ion sources include stannous ion sources, zinc ion sources, copper ion sources, silver ion sources, magnesium ion sources, iron ion sources, sodium ion sources, and manganese (Mn) ion sources, and/or combinations thereof. The metal ion source can be a soluble or a sparingly soluble compound of stannous, zinc, or copper with inorganic or organic counter ions. Examples include the fluoride, chloride, chlorofluoride, acetate, hexafluorozirconate, sulfate, tartrate, gluconate, citrate, malate, glycinate, pyrophosphate, metaphosphate, oxalate, phosphate, carbonate salts and oxides of stannous, zinc, and copper.

Stannous, zinc and copper ions are derived from the metal ion source(s) can be found in the multi-phase oral care composition an effective amount to provide an oral care benefit or other benefits. Stannous, zinc and copper ions have been found to help in the reduction of gingivitis, plaque, sensitivity, and improved breath benefits. An effective amount is defined as from at least about 500 ppm to about 20,000 ppm metal ion of the total composition, preferably from about 2,000 ppm to about 15,000 ppm. More preferably, metal ions are present in an amount from about 3,000 ppm to about 13,000 ppm and even more preferably from about 5,000 ppm to about 10,000 ppm. This is the total amount of metal ions (stannous, zinc, copper and mixtures thereof) that is present in the compositions for delivery to the tooth surface.

Other metal ion sources can include minerals and/or calcium containing compounds, which can lead to remineralization, such as, for example, sodium iodide, potassium iodide, calcium chloride, calcium lactate, calcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, fluoroapatite, amorphous calcium phosphate, crystalline calcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, oxalic acid, dipotassium oxalate, monosodium monopotassium oxalate, casein phosphopeptides, and/or casein phosphopeptide coated hydroxy apatite.

The metal ion source may comprise a metal salt suitable for generating metal ions in the oral cavity. Suitable metal salts include salts of silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), sodium (Na), and manganese (Mn) salts, or combinations thereof. Preferred salts include, without limitation, gluconates, chlorates, citrates, chlorides, fluorides, and nitrates, or combinations thereof.

The oral care composition can comprise at least about 0.005%, from about 0.005% to about 10%, from about 0.01% to about 5%, from about 0.01% to about 2%, or from about 0.1% to about 1% of a metal ion source by weight of the oral care composition. The metal ion source can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Tin Ion Source

Tin ions, such as stannous ions, are used in oral care compositions to deliver benefits such as, for example, enamel care and cavity protection. Suitable tin ion sources include stannous chloride, stannous fluoride, stannous bromide, stannous iodide, stannous acetate, stannous gluconate, stannous oxalate, stannous sulfate, stannous lactate, stannous tartrate stannous carbonate, stannic chloride, stannic fluoride, stannic iodide, stannous citrate, stannic nitrate, stannous peptides, stannous proteins, and stannous phosphate, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the ion source is stannous fluoride, stannous chloride, and/or combinations thereof.

The oral care compositions of the present invention may comprise a tin ion source in the amount ranging from about 0.01% to about 5%, from about 0.05% to about 4%, from about 0.01% to about 10%, or from about 0.075% to about 3%. The tin ion source can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Zinc Ion Source

The oral care composition may comprise from about 0.01% to about 5%, from about 0.2% to about 2%, or from about 0.01% to about 10%, by weight of the oral care composition, of a zinc ion source. The zinc ion source can be selected from the group consisting of zinc citrate, zinc chloride, zinc sulfate, zinc gluconate, zinc lactate, zinc phosphate, zinc arginine, zinc fluoride, zinc iodide, zinc carbonate, and combinations thereof. More preferably, the zinc ion source is selected from zinc citrate, zinc gluconate, zinc lactate, and combinations thereof. Insoluble or sparingly soluble zinc compounds, such as zinc oxide or zinc carbonate, can be used as the zinc ion source. Zinc ion sources can be soluble zinc sources such as zinc chloride or zinc sulfate. Additionally, zinc ion sources can be those where the zinc is already combined with a suitable chelating agent in the form of a salt or other complex, such as zinc citrate, zinc gluconate, zinc lactate and zinc glycinate. Other examples of zinc ion sources are zinc citrate, zinc gluconate, zinc lactate and mixtures thereof.

When insoluble and soluble zinc compounds are both present in the zinc ion source, the soluble zinc compound can be present at least about 50%, by weight of the total zinc ion source. The oral care compositions of the present invention may optionally also include other antibacterial agents, preferably present in an amount of from about 0.035% or more, from about 0.05% to about 2%, from about 0.1% to about 1%, by weight of the oral care composition. Examples of these other anti-bacterial agents may include non-cationic anti-bacterial agents such as, for example, halogenated diphenyl ethers, phenolic compounds including phenol and its homologs, mono and poly-alkyl and aromatic halophenols, resorcinol and its derivatives, xylitol, bisphenolic compounds and halogenated salicylanilides, benzoic esters, and halogenated carbanilidies. Other useful anti-bacterial agents are enzymes, including endoglycosidase, papain, dextranase, mutanase, and combinations thereof. In another example, the other anti-bacterial agent can include triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol).

The zinc ion source can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Copper Ion Source

The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.01% to about 5%, from about 0.2% to about 2%, or from about 0.01% to about 10%, by weight of the oral care composition, of a copper ion source. The copper ion source can be selected from the group consisting of copper gluconate, copper citrate, copper fluoride, copper iodide, copper bromide, copper peptides, copper sulfate, copper arginine, copper carbonate, and combinations thereof. Copper salts can be in any possible oxidation state, including, for example, copper(I) or copper(II) salts. The copper ion source can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Calcium Ion Source

The oral care composition can comprise a calcium ion source. The calcium ion source can comprise a calcium salt, such as, for example, calcium chloride, and/or a calcium-containing abrasive, as described herein.

The calcium compound can comprise any suitable soluble calcium salt, such as for example, calcium chloride, calcium carbonate, calcium bicarbonate, calcium hydroxide, calcium lactate, calcium citrate, calcium phosphate, and combinations thereof.

The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.01% to about 10%, from about 1% to about 50%, from about 10% to about 50%, or from about 1% to about 30%, by weight of the oral care composition of a calcium ion source.

Surfactants

The oral care composition can comprise one or more surfactants. The fibrous composition can comprise one or more surfactants. The nonfibrous composition can comprise one or more surfactants. The one or more surfactants may be selected from anionic, nonionic, amphoteric, zwitterionic, cationic surfactants, or combinations thereof.

The oral care composition may include one or more surfactants at a level of from about 0.01% to about 20%, from about 1% to about 15%, from about 0.1% to about 15%, from about 5% to about 15%, or greater than about 5%%, by weight of the composition.

Suitable anionic surfactants include, for example, the water soluble salts of alkyl sulfates having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical and the water-soluble salts of sulfonated monoglycerides of fatty acids having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium coconut monoglyceride sulfonates are examples of anionic surfactants of this type. Other suitable anionic surfactants include sarcosinates, such as sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, taurates, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, sodium lauroyl isethionate, sodium laureth carboxylate, and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate. Combinations of anionic surfactants can also be employed.

Another suitable class of anionic surfactants are alkyl phosphates. The surface active organophosphate agents can have a strong affinity for enamel surface and have sufficient surface binding propensity to desorb pellicle proteins and remain affixed to enamel surfaces. Suitable examples of organophosphate compounds include mono-, di- or triesters represented by the general structure below wherein Z₁, Z₂, or Z₃ may be identical or different with at least one being an organic moiety. Z₁, Z₂, or Z₃ can be selected from linear or branched, alkyl or alkenyl group of from 1 to 22 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more phosphate groups; alkoxylated alkyl or alkenyl, (poly)saccharide, polyol or polyether group.

Some other agents include alkyl or alkenyl phosphate esters represented by the following structure:

wherein R₁ represents a linear or branched, alkyl or alkenyl group of from 6 to 22 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more phosphate groups; n and m, are individually and separately, 2 to 4, and a and b, individually and separately, are 0 to 20; Z and Z may be identical or different, each represents hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium, protonated alkyl amine or protonated functional alkylamine, such as analkanolamine, or a R—(OCH2)(OCH)— group. Examples of suitable agents include alkyl and alkyl (poly)alkoxy phosphates such as lauryl phosphate; PPGS ceteareth-10 phosphate; laureth-1 phosphate; laureth-3 phosphate; laureth-9 phosphate; trilaureth-4 phosphate; C₁₂₋₁₈ PEG 9 phosphate: and sodium dilaureth-10 phosphate. The alkyl phosphate can be polymeric. Examples of polymeric alkyl phosphates include those containing repeating alkoxy groups as the polymeric portion, in particular 3 or more ethoxy, propoxy isopropoxy or butoxy groups.

Other suitable surfactants are sarcosinates, isethionates and taurates, especially their alkali metal or ammonium salts. Examples include: lauroyl sarcosinate, myristoyl sarcosinate, palmitoyl sarcosinate, stearoyl sarcosinate oleoyl sarcosinate, or combinations thereof.

Zwitterionic or amphoteric Surfactants useful herein include derivatives of aliphatic quaternary ammonium, phosphonium, and Sulfonium compounds, in which the aliphatic radicals can be straight chain or branched, and one of the aliphatic substituents contains from 8 to 18 carbon atoms and one contains an anionic water-solubilizing group, e.g., carboxy, sulfonate, sulfate, phosphate or phosphonate. Suitable betaine surfactants are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,577. Typical alkyl dimethyl betaines include decyl betaine or 2-(N-decyl-N,N-dimethylammonio) acetate, coco-betaine or 2-(N-coco-N,N-dimethyl ammonio)acetate, myristyl betaine, palmityl betaine, lauryl betaine, cetyl betaine, cetyl betaine, stearyl betaine, etc. The amidobetaines can be exemplified by cocoamidoethyl betaine, cocoamidopropyl betaine (CADB), and lauramidopropyl betaine.

Cationic surfactants useful in the present invention include, for example, derivatives of quaternary ammonium compounds having one long alkyl chain containing from 8 to 18 carbon atoms such as lauryl trimethylammonium chloride; cetyl pyridinium chloride; cetyl trimethyl-ammonium bromide; cetyl pyridinium fluoride or combinations thereof.

Nonionic surfactants that can be used in the compositions of the present invention include, for example, compounds produced by the condensation of alkylene oxide groups (hydrophilic in nature) with an organic hydrophobic compound which may be aliphatic or alkylaromatic in nature. Examples of suitable nonionic surfactants can include the Pluronics® which are poloxamers, polyethylene oxide condensates of alkyl phenols, products derived from the condensation of ethylene oxide with the reaction product of propylene oxide and ethylene diamine, ethylene oxide condensates of aliphatic alcohols, long chain tertiary amine oxides, long chain tertiary phosphine oxides, long chain dialkyl sulfoxides and combinations of such materials.

The one or more surfactants can also include one or more natural surfactants. Natural surfactants can include surfactants that are derived from natural products and/or surfactants that are minimally or not processed. Natural surfactants can include hydrogenated, non-hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, olus oil, Passiflora incarnata oil, candelilla cera, coco-caprylate, caprate, dicaprylyl ether, lauryl alcohol, myristyl myristate, dicaprylyl ether, caprylic acid, caprylic ester, octyl decanoate, octyl octanoate, undecane, tridecane, decyl oleate, oleic acid decylester, cetyl palmitate, stearic acid, palmitic acid, glyceryl stearate, hydrogenated, non-hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated vegetable glycerides, Polyglyceryl-2 dipolyhydroxystearate, cetearyl alcohol, sucrose polystearate, glycerin, octadodecanol, hydrolyzed, partially hydrolyzed, or non-hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed, partially hydrolyzed, or non-hydrolyzed wheat protein hydrolysate, polyglyceryl-3 diisostearate, glyceryl oleate, myristyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, sodium cetearyl sulfate, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl laurate, capric triglyceride, coco-glycerides, lectithin, dicaprylyl ether, xanthan gum, sodium coco-sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium cocoyl sulfate, sodium cocoyl glutamate, polyalkylglucosides, such as decyl glucoside, cetearyl glucoside, cetyl stearyl polyglucoside, coco-glucoside, and lauryl glucoside, and/or combinations thereof. Natural surfactants can include any of the Natrue ingredients marketed by BASF, such as, for example, CegeSoft®, Cetiol®, Cutina®, Dehymuls®, Emulgade®, Emulgin®, Eutanol®, Gluadin®, Lameform®, LameSoft®, Lanette®, Monomuls®, Myritol®, Plantacare®, Plantaquat®, Platasil®, Rheocare®, Sulfopon®, Texapon®, and/or combinations thereof.

The surfactant can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, and/or included in the nonfibrous composition. The surfactant formed within the fibrous composition can be at a level from about 10% to about 50%, from about 20% to about 40%, from about 25% to about 40%, or from about 30% to about 40% by weight of the fibrous composition.

The oral care composition can comprise one or more surfactants. The oral care composition can comprise an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, and/or a zwitterionic surfactant.

The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.1% to about 10%, from about 0.1% to about 8%, from about 5% to about 8%, from about 4% to about 9%, or from about 3% to about 10% of an anionic surfactant, cationic surfactant, and/or nonionic surfactant by weight of the composition.

The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.01% to about 20%, from about 0.01% to about 10%, from about 0.1% to about 1%, from about 0.01% to about 1%, from about 0.01% to about 0.5%, or from about 0.1% to about 0.2% of a zwitterionic surfactant by weight of the composition.

PEG

The oral care composition may comprise polyethylene glycol (PEG), of various weight percentages of the composition as well as various ranges of average molecular weights. The compositions can have from about 0.1% to about 40%, from about 1% to about 35%, from about 5% to about 30%, from about 15% to about 25%, from about 1% to about 40%, from about 10% to about 30%, from about 15% to about 20%, from about 0.1% to about 30%, or from about 15% to about 30% of PEG by weight of the composition. The PEG can have a range of average molecular weight from about 100 Daltons to about 1600 Daltons, from about 200 to about 1000, from about 400 to about 800, from about 500 to about 700 Daltons, or combinations thereof. PEG is a water soluble linear polymer formed by the addition reaction of ethylene oxide to an ethylene glycol equivalent having the general formula: H—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—OH. One supplier of PEG is Dow Chemical Company under the brandname of CARBOWAX™.

PEG can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition. PEG included in the nonfibrous composition can be at a level from about 10% to about 50%, from about 15% to about 40%, from about 5% to about 35%, or from about 15% to about 30% by weight of the nonfibrous composition. The PEG, when used as a solvent for the nonfibrous composition, can be anhydrous to prevent reactivity between components dispersed or dissolved within the PEG.

Polyphosphates

The oral care composition can comprise a polyphosphate source. A polyphosphate source can comprise one or more polyphosphate molecules. Polyphosphates are a class of materials obtained by the dehydration and condensation of orthophosphate to yield linear and cyclic polyphosphates of varying chain lengths. Thus, polyphosphate molecules are generally identified with an average number (n) of polyphosphate molecules, as described below. A polyphosphate is generally understood to consist of two or more phosphate molecules arranged primarily in a linear configuration, although some cyclic derivatives may be present.

Preferred polyphosphates are those having an average of two or more phosphate groups so that surface adsorption at effective concentrations produces sufficient non-bound phosphate functions, which enhance the anionic surface charge as well as hydrophilic character of the surfaces. Preferred in this invention are the linear polyphosphates having the formula: XO(XPO)_(n)X, wherein X is sodium, potassium, ammonium., or any other alkali metal cations and n averages from about 2 to about 21. The polyphosphate source can also include alkali earth metal polyphosphate salts, and specifically calcium polyphosphate salts, such as calcium pyrophosphate, due to the ability to separate calcium ions from other reactive components, such as fluoride ion sources.

Some examples of suitable polyphosphate molecules include, for example, pyrophosphate (n=2), tripolyphosphate (n=3), tetrapolyphosphate (n=4), sodaphos polyphosphate (n=6), hexaphos polyphosphate (n=13), benephos polyphosphate (n=14), hexametaphosphate (n=21), which is also known as Glass H. Polyphosphates can include those polyphosphate compounds manufactured by EMC Corporation, ICL Performance Products, and/or Astaris.

The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.01% to about 15%, from about 0.1% to about 10%, from about 0.5% to about 5%, from about 1 to about 20%, or about 10% or less, by weight of the oral care composition, of the polyphosphate source.

Extensional Aid

The oral care composition can comprise an extensional aid. Non-limiting examples of extensional aids can include polymers, other extensional aids, and combinations thereof.

The extensional aids can have a weight average molecular weight of at least about 500,000 Da. The weight average molecular weight of the extensional aid can be from about 500,000 to about 25,000,000, from about 800,000 to about 22,000,000, from about 1,000,000 to about 20,000,000, or from about 2,000,000 to about 15,000,000. The high molecular weight extensional aids are preferred in some embodiments of the invention due to the ability to increase extensional melt viscosity and reducing melt fracture.

The extensional aid, when used in meltblowing, can be added to the composition of the present invention in an amount effective to visibly reduce the melt fracture and capillary breakage of filaments during the spinning process such that substantially continuous filaments having relatively consistent diameter can be melt spun. Regardless of the process employed to produce filaments, the extensional aids, when used, can be present from about 0.001% to about 10%, by weight on a dry filament basis, from about 0.005 to about 5%, by weight on a dry filament basis, from about 0.01 to about 1%, by weight on a dry filament basis, or from about 0.05% to about 0.5%, by weight on a dry filament basis.

Non-limiting examples of polymers that can optionally be used as extensional aids can include alginates, carrageenans, pectin, chitin, guar gum, xanthum gum, agar, gum arabic, karaya gum, tragacanth gum, locust bean gum, alkylcellulose, hydroxyalkylcellulose, carboxyalkylcellulose, and mixtures thereof.

Nonlimiting examples of other extensional aids can include carboxyl modified polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylacetate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene vinyl acetate, polyethyleneimine, polyamides, polyalkylene oxides including polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polyethylenepropylene oxide, and mixtures thereof.

Aesthetic Agents

The oral care composition can optionally comprise one or more aesthetic agents. The one or more aesthetic agents can be selected from the group consisting of flavors, colorants, sensates, sweeteners, salivation agents, and combinations thereof. All aesthetic agents can be present from about 0.001% to about 60%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.005% to about 50%, by weight of the oral care composition, about 0.05% to about 40%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.1% to about 35%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Aesthetic agents can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Flavors

The oral care composition can optionally include one or more flavors. Non-limiting examples of flavors that can be used in the present invention can include natural flavoring agents, artificial flavoring agents, artificial extracts, natural extracts and combination thereof. Non-limiting examples of flavors can include vanilla, honey, lemon, lemon honey, cherry vanilla, peach, honey ginger, chamomile, cherry, cherry cream, mint, vanilla mint, dark berry, black berry, raspberry, peppermint, spearmint, honey peach, acai berry, cranberry, honey cranberry, tropical fruit, dragon fruit, wolf berry, red stem mint, pomegranate, black current, strawberry, lemon, lime, peach ginger, orange, orange cream, cream sickle, apricot, anethole, ginger, jack fruit, star fruit, blueberry, fruit punch, lemon grass, chamomile lemon grass, lavender, banana, strawberry banana, grape, blue raspberry, lemon lime, coffee, espresso, cappuccino, honey, wintergreen mint, bubble gum, tart honey lemon, sour lemon, green apple, boysenberry, rhubarb, strawberry rhubarb, persimmon, green tea, black tea, red tea, white tea, honey lime, cherry lime, apple, tangerine, grapefruit, kiwi, pear, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, maltol, ethyl-maltol, pumpkin, carrot cake, white chocolate raspberry, chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate marshmallow, apple pie, cinnamon, hazelnut, almond, cream, crème brûlée, caramel, caramel nut, butter, butter toffee, caramel toffee, aloe vera, whiskey, rum, cocoa, licorice, pineapple, guava, melon, watermelon, elder berry, mouth cooler, raspberries and cream, peach mango, tropical, cool berry, lemon ice, nectar, spicy nectar, tropical mango, apple butter, peanut butter, tangerine, tangerine lime, marshmallow, cotton candy, apple cider, orange chocolate, adipic acid, citral, denatonium benzoate, ethyl acetate, ethyl lactate, ethyl maltol, ethylcellulose, fumaric acid, leucine, malic acid, menthol, methionine, monosodium glutamate, sodium acetate, sodium lactate, tartaric acid, thymol, and combinations thereof.

Flavors can be protected in an encapsulate or as a flavor crystal. The encapsulated flavor can have a controlled or delayed release once the encapsulated flavor reaches the oral cavity. The encapsulate can comprise a shell and a core. The flavor can be in the core of the encapsulate. The flavor can be encapsulated by any suitable means, such as spray drying or extrusion. Encapsulated flavors can be added to the surface of the fibrous composition, formed within the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Flavors can be present from about 0.05% to about 25%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.01% to about 15%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.2% to about 10%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.1% to about 5%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Flavors can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Colorants

The oral care composition can optionally include one or more colorants. The colorants can provide a visual signal when the oral care composition is exposed to conditions of intended use. Non-limiting examples colorants that may be used in the present invention include FD&C blue #1, FD&C blue #2, D&C blue #4, D&C blue #9, FD&C green #3, D&C green #5, D&C green #6, D&C green #8, D&C orange #4, D&C orange #5, D&C orange #10, D&C orange #11, FD&C red #3, FD&C red #4, D&C red #6, D&C red #7, D&C red #17, D&C red #21, D&C red #22, D&C red #27, D&C red #28, D&C red #30, D&C red #31, D&C red #33, D&C red #34, D&C red #36, D&C red #39, FD&C red #40, D&C violet #2, FD&C yellow #5, FD&C yellow #6, D&C yellow #7, Ext. D&C yellow #7, D&C yellow #8, D&C yellow #10, D&C yellow #11, and combinations thereof. Colorants can be present from about 0.05% to about 2%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.01% to about 2%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.02% to about 1.5%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Colorants can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Sensates

The oral care composition can optionally include one or more sensates. Non-limiting examples of sensates can include cooling sensates, warming sensates, tingling sensates, and combinations thereof. Sensates are useful to deliver signals to the user.

Non-limiting examples of cooling sensates can include WS-23 (2-Isopropyl-N,2,3-trimethylbutyramide), WS-3 (N-Ethyl-p-menthane-3-carboxamide), WS-30 (1-glyceryl-p-mentane-3-carboxylate), WS-4 (ethyleneglycol-p-methane-3-carboxylate), WS-14 (N-t-butyl-p-menthane-3-carboxamide), WS-12 (N-(4-,ethoxyphenyl)-p-menthane-3-carboxamide), WS-5 (Ethyl-3-(p-menthane-3-carboxamido)acetate, Menthone glycerol ketal (sold as Frescolat® MGA by Haarmann & Reimer), (−)-Menthyl lactate (sold as Frescolat® ML by Haarmann & Reimer), (−)-Menthoxypropane-1,2-diol (sold as Coolant Agent 10 by Takasago International), 3-(1-menthoxy)propane-1,2-diol, 3-(1-Menthoxy)-2-methylpropane-1,2-diol, (−)-Isopulegol is sold under the name “Coolact P®” by Takasago International., cis & trans p-Menthane-3,8-diols (PMD38)—Takasago International, Questice® (menthyl pyrrolidone carboxylate), (1R,3R,4S)-3-menthyl-3,6-dioxaheptanoate—Firmenich, (1R,2S,5R)-3-menthyl methoxyacetate—Firmenich, (1R,2S,5R)-3-menthyl 3,6,9-trioxadecanoate—Firmenich, (1R,2S,5R)-menthyl 11-hydroxy-3,6,9-trioxaundecanoate—Firmenich, (1R,2S,5R)-3-menthyl (2-hydroxyethoxy)acetate—Firmenich, Cubebol—Firmenich, Icilin also known as AG-3-5, chemical name 1-[2-hydroxyphenyl]-4-[2-nitrophenyl-]-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyrimidine-2-one), 4-methyl-3-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-2[5H]-furanone, Frescolat ML—menthyl lactate, Frescolat MGA—menthane glycerin acetal, Peppermint oil, Givaudan 180, L-Monomenthyl succinate, L-monomenthyl glutarate, 3-1-menthoxypropane-1,2-diol—(Coolact 10), 2-1-menthoxyethanol (Cooltact 5), TK10 Coolact (3-1-Menthoxy propane-1,2-diol), Evercool 180 (N-p-benzeneacetonitrile-menthane carboxamide), and combinations thereof. Cooling sensates can be present from about 0.005% to about 10%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.05% to about 7%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.01% to about 5%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Non-limiting examples of warming sensates can include TK 1000, TK 1 MM, Heatenol—Sensient Flavors, Optaheat—Symrise Flavors, Cinnamon, Polyethylene glycol, Capsicum, Capsaicin, Curry, FSI Flavors, Isobutavan, Ethanol, Glycerin, Nonivamide 60162807, Hotact VEE, Hotact 1MM, piperine, optaheat 295 832, optaheat 204 656, optaheat 200 349, and combinations thereof. Warming sensates can be present from about 0.005% to about 60%, by weight on a dry filament basis, from about 0.05% to about 50%, by weight on a dry filament basis, or from about 0.01% to about 40%, by weight on a dry filament basis. Warming sensates can be present from about 0.005% to about 10%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.05% to about 7%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.01% to about 5%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Non-limiting examples of tingling sensates can include sichuan pepper, hydroxy alpha sanshool, citric acid, Jambu extracts, spilanthol, and combinations thereof. Tingling sensates can be present from about 0.005% to about 10%, by weight on a dry filament basis or the oral care composition, from about 0.01% to about 7%, by weight on a dry filament basis or the oral care composition, or from about 0.015% to about 6%, by weight on a dry filament basis or the oral care composition.

Sensates can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Sweeteners

The oral care composition can optionally include one or more sweeteners. Sweeteners can be natural or artificial. Non-limiting examples of sweeteners can include nutritive sweeteners, sugar alcohols, synthetic sweeteners, high intensity natural sweeteners, and combinations thereof. All sweeteners can be present from about 0.05% to about 60%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.1% to about 50%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 1% to about 10%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Non-limiting examples of nutritive sweeteners can include sucrose, dextrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, tagatose, maltose, trehalose, and combinations thereof. Nutritive sweeteners can be present from about 0.1% to about 60%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 1% to about 50%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.1% to about 10%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Non-limiting examples of sugar alcohols can include xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol, isomalt, erythritol, and combinations thereof. Sugar alcohols can be present from about 0.1% to about 60%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.11% to about 50%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.1% to about 10%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Non-limiting examples of synthetic sweeteners can include aspartame, acesulfame potassium, alitame, sodium saccharin, sucralose, neotame, cyclamate, and combinations thereof. Synthetic sweeteners can be present from about 0.05% to about 10% by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.1% to about 5%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.25% to about 4%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Non-limiting examples of high intensity natural sweeteners can include neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, stevioside, rebaudioside A, rebaudioside C, dulcoside, monoammonium glycrrhizinate, thaumatin, and combinations thereof. High intensity natural sweeteners can be present from about 0.05% to about 10% by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.1% to about 5%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.25% to about 4%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Sweeteners can be formed within the nonwoven web, added to the surface of the nonwoven web, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Salivation Agents

The oral care composition can optionally include one or more salivation agents. Non-limiting examples of salivation agents include formula (I):

wherein R₁ represents C1-C2 n-alkyl; R₂ is 2-methyl-1-propyl and R₃ is hydrogen, or R₂ and R₃ taken together is a moiety (designated by the dashed lines) having the formula —(CH₂)_(n)— wherein n is 4 or 5, and combinations thereof.

The salivating agent can comprise a material wherein R₂ is 2-methyl-1-propyl and R3 is hydrogen or the salivating agent can comprise a material wherein R₁ is C1 n-alkyl, R₂ is 2-methyl-1-propyl and R₃ is hydrogen. The salivating agent can comprise trans-pellitorin, a chemical having a structure according to formula (II):

The salivation agent can include sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, trans pelitorin, pilocarpine, citrate, and combinations thereof. Salivation agents can be present from about 1% to about 60%, from about 1% to about 50%, or from about 1% to about 40%, by weight of the oral care composition. Additionally, salivation agents can be present from about 0.005% to about 10%, by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.01% to about 7%, by weight of the oral care composition, or from about 0.015% to about 6%, by weight of the oral care composition.

Salivation agents can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Thickening Agent

The oral care compositions herein may include one or more thickening agents. A thickening agent may be used in an amount from about 0.01% to about 15%, or from about 0.1% to about 10%, or from about 0.1% to about 5%, by weight of the oral care composition. Non-limiting examples may include those described in US 2008/0081023 A1 at paragraphs 134 to 137, and the references cited therein.

The oral care composition can comprise a linear sulfated polysaccharide as a thickening agent. Carrageenans or carrageenins are one example of a linear sulfated polysaccharide. Generally, carrageenans can vary based upon the degree of sulfation that includes: Kappa-carrageenan, Iota-carrageenan, and Lambda-carrageenan. Combinations of carrageenans can be used. The oral care composition can contain from about 0.1% to about 3%, of a linear sulfated polysaccharides by weight of the oral care composition, from about 0.5% to about 2%, from about 0.6% to about 1.8%, or combinations thereof.

The oral care composition can comprise a silica agent, preferably a thickening silica obtained from sodium silicate solution by destabilizing with acid as to yield very fine particles. One commercially available example is ZEODENT® branded silicas from Huber Engineered Materials (e.g., ZEODENT® 103, 124, 113 115, 163, 165, 167). The oral care composition can include from about 0.5% to about 5% by weight of the oral care composition of a silica agent, preferably from about 1% to about 4%, alternatively from about 1.5% to about 3.5%, alternatively from about 2% to about 3%, alternatively from about 2% to about 5% alternatively from about 1% to 3%, alternatively combinations thereof.

The thickening agent can comprise a carboxymethyl cellulose (“CMC”). CMC is prepared from cellulose by treatment with alkali and monochloro-acetic acid or its sodium salt. Different varieties are commercially characterized by viscosity. One commercially available example is Aqualon™ branded CMC from Ashland Special Ingredients (e.g., Aqualon™ 7H3SF; Aqualon™ 9 M3SF Aqualon™ TM9A; Aqualon™ TM12A). The thickening agent can contain from about 0.1% to about 3% of a CMC by weight of the oral care composition, preferably from about 0.5% to about 2%, alternatively from about 0.6% to about 1.8%, alternatively combinations thereof.

Thickening agents can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Chelants

The oral care compositions of the present invention can comprise one or more chelants, also known as chelating agents. The term “chelant”, as used herein means a bi- or multidentate ligand having at least two groups capable of binding to metal ions and preferably other divalent or polyvalent metal ions and which, at least as part of a chelant mixture, is capable of solubilizing tin ions or other optional metal ions within the oral care composition. Groups capable of binding to metal ions include carboxyl, hydroxl, and amine groups.

Suitable chelants herein include C₂-C₆ dicarboxylic and tricarboxylic acids, such as succinic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid and citric acid; C₃-C₆ monocarboxylic acids substituted with hydroxyl, such as gluconic acid; picolinic acid; amino acids such as glycine; salts thereof and mixtures thereof. The chelants can also be a polymer or copolymer in which the chelating ligands are on the same or adjacent monomer

Preferred chelant polymers are polyacids selected from the group consisting of a homopolymer of a monomer, a co-polymer of two or more different monomers, and a combination thereof wherein the monomer or at least one of the two or more different monomers is selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, glutaconic acid, aconitic acid, citraconic acid, mesaconic acid, fumaric acid and tiglic acid. Particularly preferred is a methylvinylether/maleic acid (PVM/MA) copolymer. Other useful chelants include polyphosphates, as discussed herein.

Preferred organic acid chelants herein comprise citrate, malate, tatirate, gluconate, succinate, lactate, malonate, maleate, and mixtures thereof, whether added in their free acid or salt forms.

The oral care compositions of the present invention can have low levels of chelants because metals ions can require less stabilization if introduced in a fibrous composition, a nonfibrous composition, or physically separated from other reactive components of the oral care composition, which can be added in a separate web layer or in the nonfibrous composition. The oral care composition can have less than about 5%, less than about 1%, less than about 0.5%, less than 0.1%, less than about 0.01%, or 0% of chelants, by weight of the oral care composition. Chelants can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Whitening Agents

The oral care composition may further comprise from about 0.1% to about 10%, from about 0.2% to about 5%, from about 1% to about 5%, or from about 1% to about 15%, by weight of the total oral care composition of a whitening agent. The whitening agent can be a compound suitable for whitening at least one tooth in the oral cavity. The whitening agent may include peroxides, metal chlorites, perborates, percarbonates, peroxyacids, persulfates, and combinations thereof. Suitable peroxides include solid peroxides, urea peroxide, calcium peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, sodium peroxide, barium peroxide, inorganic peroxides, hydroperoxides, organic peroxides, and mixtures thereof. Suitable metal chlorites include calcium chlorite, barium chlorite, magnesium chlorite, lithium chlorite, sodium chlorite, and potassium chlorite. Other suitable whitening agents include sodium persulfate, potassium persulfate, peroxydone, 6-phthalimido peroxy hexanoic acid, Pthalamidoperoxycaproic acid, or mixtures thereof.

Whitening agents can be reactive with other components of oral care compositions, thus, can be separated from other components using the assembly design described herein. Whitening agents can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Bioactive Materials

The oral care composition can also include bioactive materials suitable for the remineralization of a tooth. Suitable bioactive materials include bioactive glasses, Novamin™, Recaldent™ hydroxyapatite, amino acids, such as, for example, arginine, citrulline, glycine, lysine, or histidine, or combinations thereof. Other suitable bioactive materials include any calcium phosphate compound. Other suitable bioactive materials include compounds comprising a calcium source and a phosphate source.

Bioactive glasses are comprising calcium and/or phosphate which can be present in a proportion that is similar to hydroxyapatite. These glasses can bond to the tissue and are biocompatible. Bioactive glasses can include a phosphopeptide, a calcium source, phosphate source, a silica source, a sodium source, and/or combinations thereof.

The oral care composition can comprise from about 0.01% to about 20%, from about 0.1% to about 10%, or from about 1% to about 10% of a bioactive material by weight of the oral care composition.

Bioactive materials can be formed within the fibrous composition, added to the surface of the fibrous composition, or included in the nonfibrous composition.

Nonfibrous Compositions

The components described herein can optionally be present, at least partially, as a nonfibrous composition. The nonfibrous composition can be between two or more web layers, folded inside at least one web layer, rolled inside at least web layer, or wrapped in at least one web layer. At least a portion of the nonfibrous composition can contact the surface of a fibrous composition. The nonfibrous composition can be liquid, solid, aqueous, and/or combinations thereof.

The nonfibrous composition may comprise an oral care active, aesthetic agent, abrasive, fluoride ion source, web forming material, metal ion source, polyphosphate, chelant, anti-calculus agent, thickening agent, polymer, surfactant, bioactive material and/or combinations thereof.

The nonfibrous composition can be from about 10% to about 90%, from about 20% to about 85%, from about 30% to about 80%, from about 40% to about 75%, from about 50% to about 80%, from about 50% to about 90%, or from about 60% to about 80% by weight of the oral care composition.

The density of the nonfibrous composition can be from about 0.05 g/cm³ to about 5 g/cm³, from about 0.75 g/cm³ to about 1.9 g/cm³, from about 1 g/cm³ to about 1.75 g/cm³, or from about 1.4 g/cm³ to about 1.8 g/cm³.

Coating Composition

The components described herein can optionally be present, at least partially, as a coating composition. The coating composition can be applied to the fibrous composition, web, or the oral care composition. The coating composition at least partially covers or covers an outer surface of the fibrous composition or the web. The coating composition can cover an outer surface of the oral care composition putting the coating composition in position to immediately contact the target surface (e.g. saliva in the mouth) during use for the release of the oral care active(s) and/or aesthetic agent(s).

The coating composition of the present invention may comprise one or more oral care actives as defined herein. The coating composition of the present invention may comprise one or more aesthetic agents as defined herein.

The fibrous composition, web, or oral care composition may comprise one or more oral care actives which can be the same or different from the oral care active present in the coating composition. The fibrous composition, web, or oral care composition can comprise a delayed delivery, an extended delivery oral care active, and/or a targeted delivery oral care active and the coating composition comprises an immediate delivery oral care active. The fibrous composition, web, or oral care composition can comprise one or more aesthetic agents which can be the same or different from the aesthetic agent in the coating composition.

The coating composition can also be entrapped within the fibrous composition or the web. Thus, the particles of the coating composition can fit within the void between the fibers or filaments when formed into a web using any suitable means.

Releasable Components

Oral care actives, aesthetic agents, or other components in the oral care composition can be designed to be releasable upon a suitable triggering condition. The releasable components can be releasable on the same or a different triggering condition. For example, a flavor encapsulate can be releasable upon a shear rate associated with a user brushing at least one tooth. A fluoride ion source can be releasable upon contact with water. This can allow for oral care actives or aesthetic agents to be released at a designable time. For example, a flavor can be released 1 seconds after brushing while a colorant can be releasable after a user has brushed for two minutes to indicate a suitable brushing time has passed. Aesthetic agents or oral care actives can be delivered sequentially or simultaneous with other aesthetic agents or oral care actives.

Graphics

Graphics can be printed directly on the oral care compositions. Suitable graphics include graphics to match flavors, graphics of sports teams logos or names, graphics to match directions for use, such as use at a particular time of day, after consuming a certain food or drink, or the type of brush to use, marketing material, colors, designs, logos, graphics depicting fictional and nonfictional characters, graphics tied to a consumer benefit, flags, phrases, catch phrases, motivational quotes, branding material, company information, ingredient lists, animals, or other suitable graphics to convey information directly on the oral care compositions. Graphics can be printed on each side of the oral care composition. Graphics can be the same or different on each side of the oral care composition.

Dissolution Time

The oral care compositions of the present invention can be described by their dissolution times. The oral care compositions of the present invention dissolve much quicker than a comparable paste dentifrice. Oral care compositions comprising a fibrous composition of the present invention can have a total dissolution time according to the dissolution method, as described herein, of less about 1000 seconds, less than about 750 seconds, less than about 500 seconds, less than about 250 seconds, from about 50 seconds to about 250 seconds, or from about 50 seconds to about 500 seconds per dose of oral care composition. Foam compositions of the present invention can have a total dissolution time according to the dissolution method described herein of less than about 50 seconds, less than about 30 seconds, or less than about 20 seconds per dose of the foam composition. Comparable dentifrice paste formulations have dissolution times of greater than 1000 seconds which is not suitable for a unit-dose oral care composition that needs to dissolve upon contact with moisture in the oral cavity.

Fluoride Uptake

The oral care compositions, as described herein, can be described according its average fluoride uptake by HAP dissolution. The oral care compositions of the present invention have a higher average F uptake despite also comprising components that are typically avoided or carefully avoided due to reactivity with fluoride ions. For example, the oral care compositions can have an average fluoride uptake of at least 1000 ppm, at least 1500 ppm, or at least 2000 ppm despite comprising a fluoride ion source and a calcium ion source, which can react to form precipitated calcium fluoride prior to use by a consumer. The oral care compositions, as described herein, physically separate the fluoride ion source from the calcium ion source in a different nonwoven web layers, in separate portions, in separate compositions of the oral care compositions, or in a soluble solid phase. The physical separation of these components have been previously difficult to achieve. Unit-dose oral care compositions, such as pouches, solid foams, or soluble fibrous compositions, provide the chassis that can physically separate fluoride ions from calcium ions during storage, but also allows them to be combinable upon dissolution and/or disintegration in the oral cavity.

Tin Ion Uptake

The oral care compositions, as described herein, can be described according its average tin ion uptake by HAP dissolution. The oral care compositions of the present invention have a higher average Sn uptake despite also comprising components that are typically avoided or carefully formulated due to reactivity with tin ions. For example, the oral care compositions can have an average tin ion uptake of at least 5000 ppm, at least 10000 ppm, or at least 20000 ppm despite comprising a tin ion source and a polyphosphate, silica abrasive, etc., which can react to form tin complexes that low the tin ion availability prior to use by a consumer. The oral care compositions, as described herein, physically separate the metal ion source from polyphosphates, silica abrasives, or other chelants in a different nonwoven web layers, in separate portions, in separate compositions of the oral care compositions, or in a soluble solid phase. The physical separation of these components have been previously difficult to achieve. Unit-dose oral care compositions, such as pouches, solid foams, or soluble fibrous compositions, provide the chassis that can physically separate metal ions from other reactive components during storage, but also allows them to be combinable upon dissolution and/or disintegration in the oral cavity.

Morphology

The oral care composition, as described herein, can be described by its morphology, which is unique relative to other oral care compositions, such as dentifrice pastes and/or mouth rinses. For example, the unit-dose oral care composition comprising a fibrous composition can be a nonwoven web of fiber and/or filaments. The unit-dose oral care composition comprising a solid soluble foam composition can have voids within a solid foam network connected by struts. The solid soluble foam compositions can have a mean void volume percentage, or the ratio between void-space to the total space occupied by the foam, of at least about 75%, at least about 85% or at least about 88%. In contrast, the fibrous compositions can have a mean void volume of from about 15% to about 75%, from about 15% to about 70%, from about 30% to about 75%, or from about 35% to about 70%. Dentifrice pastes and/or mouth rinses would have mean void volume percentages of less than 15% prior to use by a consumer.

Solid soluble foam compositions can have an average pore size of greater than about 0.1 mm, greater than about 0.2 mm, or greater than about 0.3 mm. In contrast, the fibrous compositions can have an average pore size of from about 0.001 mm to about 0.1 mm, from about 0.01 mm to about 0.05 mm, or from about 0.01 mm to about 0.1 mm. Dentifrice pastes and/or mouth rinses would not be expected to have pores until use by a consumer since they are liquids and/or pastes.

Solid soluble foam compositions can have a surface area of from about 50 mm⁻¹ to about 150 mm⁻¹, from about 75 mm⁻¹ to about 160 mm⁻¹, or from about 100 mm⁻¹ to about 150 mm⁻¹. In contrast, the surface of fibrous compositions can be at least about 150 mm⁻¹, at least about 200 mm⁻¹, or at least about 250 mm⁻¹.

EXAMPLES

The following examples further describe and demonstrate embodiments within the scope of the present invention. The examples are given solely for the purpose of illustration and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention, as many variations thereof are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All exemplified amounts are concentrations by weight of the total composition, i.e., wt/wt percentages, unless otherwise specified.

Unit-Dose Oral Care Compositions

Fibrous Unit-Dose Compositions

Fibrous unit-dose oral care compositions were assembled from a fibrous composition and a nonfibrous composition. The fibrous composition was made by first adding USP water to a batch mixing tank. The target amount of water is 60 wt % including the water introduced with any aqueous components, thus, the actual amount of the components added varies based on the batch size and the target composition. Next, the target amount of xylitol was added to the batch mixing tank while mixing at 60 rpm. The target amount of polyvinyl alcohol was added to the batch mixing tank. The batch mixing tank was heated to 80° C. The mixture was heated and stirred for 2 hours at 80° C. and 120 rpm.

The target amount of sodium lauryl sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine were added in succession as aqueous solutions. Next, sucralose was then added to the mixture. Finally, the fluoride ion source was then added, if desired. The fibrous composition melt was allowed to degas over night while being stirred at 70° C.

The fibrous composition melt was allowed to cool to 40° C. and the fibrous composition melt was spun into filaments and/or fibers. The fibrous composition melt was transferred from the batch mixing tank to the fiber spinning die. Fibers and/or filaments were extruded via a Biax-fiberfilm multi-row capillary die at 60° C. The fibers and/or filaments were attenuated and dried with hot air to have less than 5% moisture. The fibers and/or filaments were collected on a belt as the fibrous composition.

The nonfibrous composition was synthesized by adding the components listed in TABLE 1 to PEG-12 with mechanical mixing to create a slurry.

The fibrous unit-dose compositions were assembled by placing a first strip of the fibrous composition onto a die plate. Cavities in the fibrous composition were made by applying force within each die well. The nonfibrous composition was applied to the interior of the cavity with a dropper. A second strip of fibrous composition was placed on top of the die plate. Pressure was applied to cut and bond the edges of the first and second fibrous composition layers. The dose was removed the die cutter and the process was repeated for each dose.

TABLE 1 Fibrous Unit-Dose Compositions Fiber Fiber Fiber Ex. 1 (% Ex. 2 (% Ex. 3 (% Location Ingredient total wt) total wt) total wt) Fibrous Sodium Lauryl 7.55 12.10 10.88 Composition Sulfate Cocamidopropyl 0.12 0.36 0.33 Betaine Polyvinyl Alcohol¹ 8.27 10.31 6.40 Sodium Saccharin 1.66 1.88 1.28 Xylitol 7.78 8.91 6.01 Sucralose 0.02 0.12 0.08 NaF — 0.86 — Nonfibrous PEG-12 19.67 16.87 20.49 Composition Silica 32.79 29.10 31.35 Sodium 16.39 14.55 16.50 Hexametaphosphate Flavors/Dyes 5.75 4.95 5.91 NaF — — 0.30 ¹Mixture of PVA403 and PVA 420H

Solid Foam Unit-Dose Compositions

Solid foam compositions were prepared according to U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328, in accordance with paragraphs 170 and 171, which are herein incorporated by reference. Foam Ex. 1A was prepared identically to Example 1 from U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328.

TABLE 2 Foam Example 1A Prior to Calculated Drying Concentrated Component (wt %) Dose (wt %) Distilled Water 65.00 — Glycerin 4.00 12.45 Polyvinyl Alcohol 7.50 23.35 Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (28%) 4.00 3.49 Polysorbate 80 7.00 21.79 Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate 8.86 27.58 Sodium Saccharin 1.00 3.11 Sodium Fluoride 0.64 1.99 Flavor 2.00 6.23

Foam Ex. 1A was prepared by first combining distilled water and the glycerin in an appropriately sized and cleaned vessel. The mixture was stirred at 100-300 rpm. The polyvinyl alcohol (Kurraray POVAL™ 32-80) was weighed into a suitable container and slowly added to the water-glycerin mixture in small increments using a spatula while continuing to stir the mixture to avoid the formation of visible lumps. The mixing speed was adjusted to minimize foaming of the mixture at this stage of the process. The water-glycerin-polyvinyl alcohol mixture was heated to 75° C. Once at 75° C., sodium lauryl sulfate and polysorbate 80 (Tween® 80) were added to the mixture. The temperature was allowed to equilibrate at 75° C. after the addition of the sodium lauryl sulfate and polysorbate 80. The temperature of the mixture was heated to 85° C. and then allowed to cool to room temperature (˜23° C.). The remaining ingredients were added while continuing to mix.

A portion of the mixture was transferred to a 5 quart stainless steel KITCHENAID® Mixer (Model KSSS, Hobart Corp., Troy, Ohio) and fitted with a flat beater attachment. The mixture was vigorously aerated at high speed for 30 seconds. A portion of the resulting aerated mixture was spread with a spatula and placed into a 75° C. convection oven for 30 minutes and then placed in a 40° C. convection oven overnight for drying. U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328 states that this procedure produced a porous solid foam composition upon drying. Unfortunately, this was not replicated with Foam Ex. 1. Instead, liquid mixtures of the ingredients were produced.

To determine why foams were not produced according to U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328, a series of variations to the above methods were performed, such as changing the mixing speed, mixing method, changing the temperatures of addition, and various other modifications understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. However, none of these methods resulted in a solid soluble foam, as described by U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328, without undue experimentation.

TABLE 3 describes how soluble solid foams were produced by minimizing the amount of inorganic salts, specifically pyrophosphate salts. Importantly, U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328 does not disclose, teach, or suggest that the amount of inorganic salts must be minimized in order to produce solid soluble foams.

TABLE 3 Soluble Solid Foam Compositions Foam Ex. Foam Ex. Foam Ex. Foam Ex. Foam Ex. Foam Ex. 1B (wt %) 1C (wt %) 1D (wt %) 1 (wt %) 2 (wt %) 3 (wt %) Distilled Water 67.42 70.62 73.44 74.26 70.22 79.75 Glycerin 4.15 4.37 4.52 4.55 4.32 4.12 Polyvinyl Alcohol 7.82 8.19 8.52 8.61 8.16 7.76 Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (28%) 4.17 4.37 4.49 4.58 4.30 1.03 Polysorbate 80 7.24 7.65 7.90 8.01 7.59 7.21 Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate 9.20 4.80 1.13 — — — Sodium Saccharin — — — — — — Sodium Fluoride — — — — — — Flavor — — — — — — Silica — — — — 5.41 — Cetyl Pyridinium Chloride — — — — — 0.13 Foam Produced? No No Yes Yes Yes Yes

TABLE 3 describes how solid soluble foams were produced. In Foam Ex. 1B, the flavor, saccharin, and sodium fluoride were removed from the procedure to produce Foam Ex. 1A described above, but did not result in a foam. Foam Ex. 1C was identical to Foam 1B, but had half the amount of sodium acid pyrophosphate, but still did not result in a solid soluble foam composition. However, unexpectedly, by lowering the amount of the pyrophosphate to be approximately 1% (Foam Ex. 1D), a solid soluble foam composition was prepared. Foam Ex. 1 was identical to Foam Ex. 1D, except it had no pyrophosphate. Foam Ex. 1 also resulted in a solid soluble foam composition.

Thus, unexpectedly, pyrophosphate interfered with the ability to produce a solid soluble foam composition as described by U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328. Importantly, U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328 does not disclose, teach, or suggest that the amount of pyrophosphate must be minimized in order to produce solid soluble foams. In fact, U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328 only teaches example foam compositions with a high amount of pyrophosphate. As such, it was unexpectedly found here that pyrophosphate interfered with the foam composition formation process.

Foam Ex. 2 and 3, based off Example 2 and Example 3 of U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0027328, were prepared as previously described, except for the absence of pyrophosphate. The flavor and fluoride ion source were not added, but were not expected to impact the foam composition formation as shown based on a comparison of Ex. 1A to Ex. 1B. Foam Ex. 2 and Foam Ex. 3 resulted in solid soluble foam compositions.

Dissolution Time of Fibrous Compositions

Fibrous compositions (from Fiber Ex. 3 without a nonfibrous composition) with a basis weight of 190 gram/m² were cut into individual pieces with an oval shaped die cutter. The surface area of each piece was 17.3 cm². An individual oval shaped piece was placed in a flexible polystyrene weighing boat (85 mm×85 mm×24 mm). 10 mL of tap water (Greater Cincinnati Water Works, Cincinnati, Ohio) was acquired in a small beaker. The tap water was added to the weighing boat. The time to dissolve the fibrous composition was measured with a stop watch as the time from when the water was completely added until the fibrous composition was fully hydrated and no white particles were visible to the naked eye. Samples were repeated at least six times and averaged.

Different densities of the fibrous composition samples were obtained by adjusting the spinning settings during production. The lower density sample has a higher thickness. The results of the dissolution time of the nonwoven web samples are presented in TABLE 4. Unexpectedly, the lower density sample had a higher dissolution time than the higher density sample. However, both samples dissolved very quickly relative to the dentifrice paste samples of TABLE 5. While not wishing to being bound by theory, the increased density might lead to a quicker dissolution time due to the increased concentration of polyvinyl alcohol molecules, which can hydrogen bond with water molecules.

TABLE 4 Density vs. Dissolution Time of Fibrous Composition of Fiber Ex. 3 Density of Fibrous Dissolution Composition Time (s) (g/mL) Lower Density Sample 20 0.18 Higher Density Sample 5 0.24

Dissolution Time of Unit-Dose Dentifrice Samples

The dissolution time of each unit-dose oral care composition was determined as follows. A magnetic stirring rod (1½× 5/16″) was placed into a 250 mL beaker. Next, 50 mL of distilled water was added. The temperature of the distilled water was then equilibrated to the testing temperature (37° C.). The 250 mL beaker was placed on a magnetic stirrer with temperature control. The unit was set to maintain the 37° C. temperature. The stirring function was turned on to maintain a stir speed of between 400 rpm and 600 rpm.

A single dose of each oral care composition was then dropped into the vortex of stirring water in the 250 mL beaker. For the fibrous or foam unit-dose compositions, a unit (˜300 mg) of each composition was dropped into the beaker. If comparative paste was being tested, an approximately 1 g dose of dentifrice was placed on a microscope slide. The dose of paste dentifrice was scraped into the vortex of water with a metal spatula. A timer was started upon the contact of the oral care composition (either fibrous unit-dose or paste) with the water in the beaker.

Dissolution occurred when all paste or unit-dose fragments were at a size of less than 2 mm in diameter. At least three replicates of each sample were performed and the dissolution time was averaged. The total time elapsed per dose was reported in seconds as the Average Total Dissolution Time Per Dose (s). Additionally, the Average Total Dissolution Time Per Dose was divided by the average weight of each sample to determine the dissolution per gram of material as the Dissolution Time (s/g). The Average Total Dissolution Time Per Dose (s) and Dissolution Time (s/g) can be found in TABLE 5.

TABLE 5 Dissolution of Dentifrice Doses Average Total Dissolution Time Dissolution Sample Per Dose (s) Time (s/g) Fiber Ex. 1 90 296 Fiber Ex. 2 228 648 Fiber Ex. 3 61 201 Foam Ex. 1 13 42 Foam Ex. 2 12 39 Foam Ex. 1D 18 59 Crest ® Complete Whitening 1457 1431 Crest ® Gum Detoxify ™ 1468 1432 Colgate ® Total ® Whitening 1049 1039

The commercial dentifrice paste examples had the longest dissolution times per dose of over 1000 seconds for each sample. The unit dose oral care compositions had significantly quicker average total dissolution time per dose. Fiber Ex. 1-3 had average total dissolution times per dose of between 61 and 228 seconds while Foam Ex. 1, 2, and 1D had average total dissolution times per dose of between 12 and 18 seconds. As described herein, a quick dissolution time can lead to targeted delivery upon contact with water and/or saliva and a low residue performance.

TABLE 6 Dissolution of Fiber Ex. 3 stored at different conditions Average Total Dissolution Time Dissolution Fiber Ex. 3 Per Dose (s) Time (s/g) 15% humidity 61 201 60% humidity 48 160 75% humidity 48 160

TABLE 6 shows the effect of the storage humidity on the dissolution time of Fiber Ex. 3. Fiber Ex. 3 was placed in an open container within each of the three humidity conditions. The 15% humidity condition was the ambient conditions at the testing laboratory (Mason Business Center, Mason, Ohio). The 60% and 75% humidity conditions were prepared within a sealed container. Each sample was stored in the selected humidity conditions for 2 hours. The dissolution time of the samples was determined as described in the Dissolution Time of Unit-Dose Samples section.

The 15% humidity sample had an average total dissolution time per dose of 61 seconds. However, the average dissolution time per dose decreased upon storage at a higher humidity, which were selected to replicate conditions normally experienced in a residential bathroom, where oral care compositions are normally stored. While the average total dissolution time per dose dropped when the humidity was raised to 60% (from 15%), the average total dissolution time per dose was not impacted upon a further humidity increase to 75%. This may indicate that the sample initially hydrates upon exposure to moisture, but that a higher humidity (outside of actual contact with water) would not exponentially impact the dissolution time of the unit-dose oral care compositions.

Mechanical Properties of Unit-Dose Oral Care Compositions

TABLE 7 Mechanical Properties of Unit-Dose Oral Care Compositions Yield Stress Ultimate Tensile Fail (KPa) Strength (KPa) Strain (%) Foam Ex. 1 90.5 360.0 218.9 Fiber Ex. 3* 1128.3 2272.8 71.1 *Fibrous composition of Fiber Ex. 3

In order to determine the mechanical properties of TABLE 7, Foam Ex. 1 and the fibrous composition of Fiber Ex. 3 were cut into a 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) strip and loaded onto a Vantage NX Tensile Tester (Thwing-Albert Instrument Company, West Berlin, N.J.) with a starting gap between the two clamps of 0.5 inch.

Mechanical tests were conducted by expanding the gap from the starting gap (0.5 in) at a constant strain rate of 2 inches (50.8 mm) per minute at ambient conditions (23° C.) until the sample broke. The tensile results are presented in TABLE 7.

Fiber Ex. 3 had a yield stress value of 1128.3 KPa while Foam Ex. 1 had a yield stress value of only 90.5 KPa. Fiber Ex. 3 had a had an ultimate tensile strength of 2272.8 KPa, while the Foam Ex. 1 had an ultimate tensile strength of 360 KPa. In contrast, the fail strain of Foam Ex. 1 was 218.9% while the fail strain of the Fiber Ex. 3 was 71.1%.

Morphology and Structural Characteristics of Unit-Dose Compositions

The morphology and structural characteristics of Foam Ex. 1 and the fibrous composition of Fiber Ex. 3 were analyzed by micro computed tomography (micro-CT). 3D x-ray sample imaging was obtained on a the Scanco μCT 50 (Scanco Medical AG, Brüttisellen, Switzerland). The micro-CT instrument was a cone beam microtomograph with a shielded cabinet. A maintenance-free x-ray tube was used as the source with an adjustable diameter focal spot. The x-ray beam passed through each sample, where some of the x-rays were attenuated by material in each sample. The extent of attenuation correlated to the density of material the x-rays passed through. The transmitted x-rays continued on to the digital detector array and generated a 2D projection image of the sample. Thus, denser materials required a higher energy to penetrate and appear brighter (higher attenuation), while void areas appeared darker (lower attenuation). Intensity differences in grey levels were used to distinguish between void and non-void areas of the sample. A 3D image of the sample was generated by collecting several individual 2D projection images of the sample as it is rotated, which were then reconstructed into a single 3D image. The instrument is interfaced with a computer running software to control the image acquisition and save the raw data. A 3D image of the fibrous composition of Fiber Ex. 3 is at FIG. 1 while a 3D image of Foam Ex. 1 is at FIG. 2. Quantitative measurements are provided in TABLE 8.

TABLE 8 Structural Characteristics of Unit-Dose Compositions Mean Void Average Average Volume Surface Strut/Fiber Pore Percentage Area Size (mm) Size (mm) (%) (mm⁻¹) Foam 0.0216 ± 0.0078  0.386 ± 0.2330 88.62 139 Ex. 1 Fiber 0.0141 ± 0.0042 0.0238 ± 0.0087 67.47 256 Ex. 3* *Fibrous composition of Fiber Ex. 3

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, Fiber Ex. 3 is a nonwoven web of fibers and/or filaments while Foam Ex. 1 had spherical pores of different sizes, which generated an overall porous structure. The average thickness of the struts in the Foam Ex. 1 was greater than the thickness of the fibers in Fiber Ex. 3. The average pore size of Foam Ex. 1 was 0.386 mm while the average pore (or voids between fibers) was 0.0238 mm for Fiber Ex. 3. The mean void volume percentage of Foam Ex. 1 was 88.62% while the mean void volume percentage of the Fiber Ex. 3 was 67.47%. In total, this leads to a surface area for the Foam Ex. 1 of 139 mm⁻¹ and a surface area for the Fiber Ex. 3 of 256 mm⁻¹. However, the surface area of the unit-dose compositions is expected to be much higher than the surface area for paste compositions, which lead to the quick dissolution times presented in TABLE 5.

Void Volume Percentage is the ratio between void-space to the total space occupied by the foam of fiber. Porosity was be calculated from μCT scans by segmenting the void space via thresholding and determining the ratio of void voxels to total voxels.

To characterize pore-size distribution, and the strut/fiber-size in the height-direction, Local Thickness Map algorithm (LTM) was implemented on the subvolume dataset. The LTM Method started with a Euclidean Distance Mapping (EDM) which assigned grey level values equal to the distance each void voxel is from its nearest boundary. Based on the EDM data, the 3D void space representing pores (or the 3D solid space representing struts/fibers) was tessellated with spheres sized to match the EDM values. Voxels enclosed by the spheres were assigned the radius value of the largest sphere. In other words, each void voxel (or solid voxel for struts) as assigned the radial value of the largest sphere that that both fit within the void space boundary (or solid space boundary for struts/fibers) and includeed the assigned voxel.

The 3D labelled sphere distribution output from the LTM data scan was treated as a stack of two-dimensional images in the height-direction (or Z-direction) and used to estimate the change in sphere diameter from slice to slice as a function of foam depth. The strut thickness was treated as a 3D dataset and an average value was assessed for the whole or parts of the subvolume. The calculations and measurements were done using AVIZO Lite (9.2.0) from Thermo Fisher Scientific and MATLAB (R2018b) from Mathworks.

The surface area of a foam or fiber was the outside layer or uppermost layer of all foam struts or fibers. This contiguous layer total area was assessed by converting the solid struts or fibers into a single uppermost layer of patched/triangles surrounding the 3D volume. The individual areas of each patch/triangle was added, providing a total surface area.

To characterize the 3D structure of the OCFs, samples were imaged using a μCT X-ray scanning instrument capable of acquiring a dataset at high isotropic spatial resolution. One example of suitable instrumentation is the SCANCO system model 50 μCT scanner (Scanco Medical AG, Brüttisellen, Switzerland) operated with the following settings: energy level of 70 kVp at 57 μA; 3000 projections; 10 mm field of view; 800 ms integration time; an averaging of 5; and a voxel size of 2.5 μm per pixel. After scanning and subsequent data reconstruction was complete, the scanner system created a 16 bit data set, referred to as an ISQ file, where grey levels reflect changes in x-ray attenuation, which in turn relates to material density. The ISQ file was then converted to 8 bit using a scaling factor.

Scanned foam and fiber samples are were prepared by punching a core of approximately 14 mm in diameter. The foam punch was laid flat on a low-attenuating foam and then mounted in a 15 mm diameter plastic cylindrical tube for scanning. Scans of the samples were acquired such that a 10 mm inner volume was included in the dataset as to avoid structural modifications from the edge. From this dataset, a smaller subvolume of the sample dataset is extracted from the total cross section of the scanned foam or fiber, creating a 3D slab of data, where surface area can be qualitatively assessed accurate and promptly.

This smaller dataset was thresholded and an isosurface was generated in Avizo without smoothing. An isosurface is a 3D analog to an isocontour that is rendered for a mesh of polygons. The Surface Area Volume function in Avizo adds up the area of all patch triangles, and also assessed the volume surrounded by the triangles.

Residue Testing

The oral care compositions of the present invention leave less residue in sinks upon use. While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the rapid hydration, dispersion, and/or dissolution of the oral care compositions, as disclosed herein, produces significantly less residue in the sink compared to conventional toothpaste. It is further believed that the improved dispersion of the oral care compositions, as disclosed herein, and the properties of the expectorate generated upon use in the oral cavity lead to a low residue composition, which more completely run down the drain without leaving a residue to dry in the sink which can accumulate over time.

To assess the amount of residue left in the sink after brushing, dispersions of the present invention and conventional dentifrices were poured onto sloped black porcelain tiles. After the dispersions were applied to the porcelain tiles, the tiles were air-dried and images of the tiles were captured under polarized light photography to measure the amount of residue left on the tiles.

To prepare the dispersions, a measured amount of composition was added to 9 grams of room temperature (23° C.) deionized water in a 100 mL glass beaker. For the conventional dentifrice paste, 3 grams of the dentifrice were used to create the dispersions. A feature of the present invention is the lack of water and humectants. Therefore, a dosage of the present invention (0.3 grams) weighs approximately ⅓ of the amount of a typical dentifrice usage (1 gram). Thus, for the present invention, 0.9 grams of Fiber Ex. 3 were used to create the dispersion. For each test dispersion, a 2 inch magnetic stir bar was added and the mixture dispersed on a Corning® stir-plate set at 600 RPM and mixed for 1 minute.

The dispersion was immediately applied to sloped black ceramic tiles (Cristezza Glass Subway Tile, Giorbello, Frederick, Md.). The tiles are glossy black from the Mosaic collection and measure 6″ long and 3″ wide. The slope of the tiles was established by raising one end of the tile ½ inch to produce an angle of 4.8 degrees relative to horizontal. The dispersed product was poured to the high end of the tile over a 3 second period and allow to run down the tile. The tiles remained in the sloped position for 5 minutes to allow the dispersion to run off the tile. After 5 minutes, the tiles were laid flat and allowed to dry for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, images of the tiles were obtained under polarized using a digital camera. A Cannon 70 D digital camera fitted with a 55 mm macro lens and a cross polarizing filter to eliminate glare and specular reflection was used to capture the images. White LED lights were equipped with polarizers and placed on each side of the camera set at 45/0 geometry. The cross polarization between the polarizer on the lens and the polarizers on the lights were adjusted to maximum cross polarization using a chrome ball. Polarizers were adjusted until the glare on the chrome ball is minimized. A Munsell N7.5 gray standard (Munsell Color, Grand Rapids) was used to white balance the camera and establish the set-up. Camera settings and light intensity were set to achieve and intensity value of 245 on all three color channels (R,G B). All other lights in the room were off during all imaging operations. The tile samples were placed in view of the camera such that the entire tile is in view as well as a Munsell color checker chart. Images were then captured for each test tile.

After the images were obtained, Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 (Adobe, San Jose, Calif.) was used to analyze the images. The images were first converted to grayscale. Next, the rectangle selector tool was used to select the upper 75% of the tile. The lower 25% of the tile was not analyzed as the edge of the tile causes an accumulation of product that would normally go down the drain. The upper 75% of the tile means the entire width of the tile and extending from the highest end 75% of the way down to the lower end of the tile. Using the histogram tool, the mean value and standard deviation of the tiles are recorded. The values can range from 0 to 255. The blank tile produces a mean value of 6 under the imaging conditions above. The mean value indicates how much residue is left and the standard deviation is a measure of how uniform the residue is on the tile. For comparison, three dentifrices were compared to Fiber Ex. 3: Crest® Cavity Protection (Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio), Crest® Baking Soda and Peroxide (Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio) and Colgate® Total® Advanced Fresh Whitening (Colgate-Palmolive Corporation, New York, N.Y.). The mean grayscale values and standard deviations are presented in TABLE 9.

TABLE 9 Residue Testing Mean Grayscale Standard Composition Value Deviation Fiber Ex. 3 17.8 21.5 Crest ® Cavity Protection 37.8 53.5 (CCP) Crest Baking Soda and 29.4 31.7 Peroxide ® (CBP) Colgate ® Total ® Advanced 112.0 71.1 Fresh Whitening (Colgate)

The lower the mean gray scale value indicated that a lower amount of residue was remaining on the tile. TABLE 9 shows that Fiber Ex. 3 had the lowest mean gray scale value, which indicated that Fiber Ex. 3, when used as a dentifrice composition, would leave the least amount of residue in the sink upon expectoration. CBP had 60% more residue upon use, CCP had 11% more residue, and Colgate had 530% more residue than Fiber Ex. 3 upon use.

The standard deviation value indicated how many locations on the tile had a high amount of residue. In other words, samples with high standard deviations would have a high amount of residue in several different locations. Fiber Ex. 3 also had the lowest standard deviation, which indicated that the residue was also not in many different locations. FIG. 3-6 illustrated the residue remaining on a black tile. Fiber Ex. 3 has the least residue remaining.

Thus, the oral care compositions of the present invention can also be according to how much residue is left upon expectoration from the oral cavity according to the residue testing, as described herein. The mean grayscale value can be less than about 25, less than about 20, or less than about 15. None of the commercial examples tested were able to match this mean grayscale value.

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application and any patent application or patent to which this application claims priority or benefit thereof, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A unit-dose oral care composition comprising a solid soluble foam composition, the solid soluble foam composition comprising: (a) surfactant; (b) polymer; (c) fluoride; and (d) plasticizer, wherein the solid soluble foam composition comprises less than about 1% of a polyphosphate.
 2. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 1, wherein the oral care composition has a Total Dissolution Time of less than about 50 seconds.
 3. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 1, wherein the unit-dose oral care composition has a mean void volume of at least about 75%.
 4. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 1, wherein the unit-dose oral care composition has a surface area of from 50 mm-1 to about 150 mm-1.
 5. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 1, wherein the polyphosphate comprises a pyrophosphate.
 6. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 1, wherein the fluoride comprises stannous fluoride, sodium fluoride, potassium fluoride, amine fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate, zinc fluoride, or combinations thereof.
 7. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 1, wherein the polymer comprises polyvinyl alcohol, starch, carbomer, pullulan, pectin, corn starch, modified corn starch, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, or combinations thereof.
 8. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 1, wherein the plasticizer comprises polyols, polycarboxylic acids, polyesters, other suitable plasticizers, or combinations thereof.
 9. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 8, wherein the polyol comprises ethylene glycol, glycerin, erythritol, threitol, arabitol, xylitol, ribitol, mannitol, sorbitol, galactitol, fucitol, iditol, inositol, volemitol, isomalt, maltitol, lactitol, maltomtriitol, maltotetraitol, polyglycitol, or combinations thereof.
 10. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 1, wherein the unit-dose oral care composition comprises from about 0.01% to about 40%, by weight of the unit-dose oral care composition, of calcium.
 11. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 10, wherein the calcium comprises calcium abrasive, calcium salt, or combinations thereof.
 12. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises from about 0.01% to about 10%, by weight of the unit-dose oral care composition, of metal.
 13. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 12, wherein the metal comprises stannous ion source, zinc ion source, or combinations thereof.
 14. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 13, wherein stannous ion source comprises stannous fluoride, stannous chloride, or combinations thereof.
 15. The unit-dose oral care composition of claim 13, wherein zinc ion source comprises zinc oxide, zinc phosphate, zinc citrate, zinc lactate, or combinations thereof. 